Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Toshinao Urabe hosted a reception at the Japanese Embassy residence in North Forbes Park to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Akihito of Japan.
The Emperor’s birthday is also celebrated as a national holiday in Japan. The palace gates — usually closed to the public — are opened for people to witness the appearance of the Emperor accompanied by the members of the Imperial family to acknowledge the crowd of well- wishers.
Ambassador Urabe noted the strategic bilateral partnership between Japan and the Philippines that has grown stronger over the years, underscored by the visit of Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this year.
During the occasion, the Ambassador observed a moment of silence to show his country’s sympathy for the victims of typhoon Yolanda. Japan sent troops, relief goods and emergency medical teams to help in the disaster relief operations for the victims, with the Japanese government’s contribution having reached over $53 million.
Photos by Ramon Joseph J. Ruiz