Japanese emperor’s birthday celebrated in Bengaluru

The event also marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and India

The Consulate-General of Japan in Bengaluru recently celebrated the 62nd birthday of Naruhito, the Emperor of Japan.

Naruhito is the 126th emperor of Japan, according to the country’s traditional order of succession. The emperor’s birthday is also celebrated as the ‘National Day’ in Japan.

Industry leaders from various sectors, including trade, tech and tourism, were in attendance. They got a glimpse of the Japanese culture and traditions such as ‘Kagami-wari’.

It is a traditional sake barrel breaking ceremony and was performed by the Consul-General along with Takashi Ishikawa, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Katanori Otsuji, president of the Japanese Association, S Janakiraman, president of the Indo-Japan Chamber Of Commerce and Industries Karnataka, and K R Sekar, president of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Addressing the gathering, Akiko Sugita, Consul-General, said, “I want to take this opportunity to celebrate both His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday and also to promote the friendship between Japan and India.”

The occasion also marked the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Japan and India. The theme of the anniversary celebrations is ‘Building a future for our Centenary’ and as a part of it, commemorative events will take place in both countries all year. For instance, ‘Japan Food and Sake Festival 2022’, a virtual event will be held from February 28 to March 6. “The year 2022 is also a milestone to commemorate the ‘Japan-Southwest Asia Exchange Year’. I hope we can promote economic and cultural exchange between the two countries,” she added.

Consul-General Akiko Sugita will return to Japan by the end of March. “I have spent one year and eight months in Bengaluru, which is too short a time to know this dynamic city,” she said. During her tenure, she missed no opportunity to showcase the Japanese culture by organising festivals like ‘Hinamatsuri’, for which she put up a doll display at her residence.