LIVE: State Banquet For Emperor and Empress of Japan at Buckingham Palace

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan are beginning a three-day state visit to the UK. A state banquet is being hosted by King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

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[Music] [Music] e e [Music] [Music] in [Music] e for [Music] e [Music] [Music] e [Music] e e [Music] e e e e e e e [Music] e for e e [Music] [Music] e e he [Music] [Music] that e for for for [Music] this [Music] yes [Music] see e your majesties my wife and I are so delighted to be able to welcome you to bakan Palace this evening welcome back to bring your majesty is ours is a partnership with deep bre roots for over 400 years our Nations have inspired each other learning from each other’s experience and enriching our Industries Cuisines and cultures with elements borrowed and shared even our Hobbies have shared roots for it was English climbers uh Like Walter Weston in the late 19th century en raptured by the Japanese Landscapes they they encountered who helped to introduce recreational uh mountain climbing in Japan this is a passion which so many British and Japanese now have in common not least at an individual level your majesty and myself at the core of our partnership is a close friendship one based on a mutual understanding of the importance of international rules and Global institutions forged from the lessons of History including its darkest years today as we Face a world in which these principles are ever more challenged our shared values of Freedom democracy and the rule of law are more important than ever our partnership is also one that continues to grow and flourish to put out new shoots and branches we share a bond which sets us apart from so many others being both island nations whose advancement has relied particularly on our ability to adapt and to create new solutions for society through the power of of collaboration and innovation indeed I believe that our people also share an understanding of how tradition and Innovation can work together to strengthen each other and the future we work towards I saw something of this on my first visit to Japan in 1970 when I T the first Japanese World Expo in Osaka as a 21y old the Innovations I saw left me with a lasting impression of the power of blending the traditions of eastern and western civilizations together with progress in science and technology for the benefit of all my four further visits to Japan since then and my engagements with your people and companies over the years lead me to believe that the impressive links forged between our economies and our businesses have built on those same ideals over the last 50 years Japanese investors have made an enormous contribution to the economy of the United Kingdom our country has provided a home where I am proud to say these businesses have thrived while growing numbers of British businesses have been welcomed into Japan our talented scientists are also working together on research and Technology to help address some of the most pressing challenges that face our planet the seriousness and urgency of the climate and nature crisis we Face cannot be overstated our generation owes it to those who follow to face it with Vigor determination and creativity against the history of deep traditional respect for nature in both of our cultures the private sector has a key role to play this is why I’m so pleased that both British and Japanese companies are at the Forefront of creating practical bankable initiatives and British and Japanese researchers who are working on understanding and protecting the Earth continue to be honored through the Blue Planet prize and the Japan prize in addition I know that our two countries are collaborating ever more closely to provide for our sh shared security our armed forces are exercising and sharing expertise at Great levels as be fits to power Powers with an enduring commitment to Global Peace and security from energy and the environment to supply chains and semiconductors from cyber security and sustainable Food Supplies to defense industrial collaboration our governments are working together to provide a stable world for future Generations supporting all these shared Endeavors are the enduring ties between our people that transcend geography and that does not just mean how much we enjoy tea and talking about the weather your majesties um I had the enormous privilege of addressing the diet nearly 40 years ago during that address I I expressed my deep hope that I countries would exchange more of our cultures and by doing so enrich our creativity I I cannot tell you how encouraged I have been to see the remarkable array of cultural exchange and co-production between our countries grow ever Stronger Just today3 members of the royal Opera House were on stage in Japan uh and at the Kagawa kenmin Hall led by S Antonio papano and as Studio ji’s enemy continue to Delight audiences worldwide with hi Yao Miaki is wonderful the boy in the Heron scooping an Oscar earlier this year the house is full at the London Coliseum this evening for a Stage production of Spirited Away equally it has been a pleasure to learn of the British stories behind certain Japanese cultural icons perhaps um you would allow me to note one particular individual who turns 50 this year raised in a London suburb with her twin sister a self-made entrepreneur worth billions of dollars and a UNICEF children’s ambassador on top of all that so I could only wish a very happy birthday to Hello Kitty ever greater numbers of our young people are living working and studying in world-class institutions in each other’s countries we are honored that so many members of the Imperial family including your majesties um have chosen to study at British universities I know from your Majesty’s fascinating record of your experiences at Oxford uh as well as my memories of our time spent together at the Opera and fly fishing uh that these opportunities to spend time abroad create lifelong friendships and memories I’m only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing the Pokemon phrase got to catch them all may resonate with my grandchildren but for me it is perhaps aspirational your majest is um in 1613 Tokugawa yasu wrote to my forebear King James I he said though separated by 10,000 leagues of clouds and waves our territories are as it were close to each other over 400 years later that sentiment remains at the heart of our friendship and so it is with a sense of great affection and optimism that I propose a toast to your majesties and the Japanese people and to the next 400 years of Japanese British relations canai [Music] [Applause] your majesties thank you your majesty for your warm words of welcome I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the invitation you have extended to the empress and me for this state visit as well as us for the tremendous consideration and effort that you and the people of the United Kingdom have shown in making it a reality in fact the original invitation was issued five years ago by her L Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second whom I greatly admired unfortunately however the visit had to be postponed due to the impact of covid-19 it is truly our utmost pleasure that it is finally taking place now your majesty has just referred to our two countries longstanding ties we also very much appreciate your Majesty’s kindness this afternoon in showing us items from the loyal collection related to Japan we now have an even stronger sense of the deep significance of the exchange between Japan and the United Kingdom forged over so many years I am personally pleased and also grateful to have played a part in the ex between the two count countries having studied in the United Kingdom during which time I interact with many people and in particular was privileged to enjoy the very warm company of members of the royal family there was previously the sad period during which the friendly relationship between our two countries suffered and hence I am struck by profound feelings as I extend my thoughts to what was in the minds of my grandfather the emperor shaah and subsequently my father the Emperor emiritus as they set foot in this country after times of great difficulty as Emperors of Japan at the invitation of her late Majesty the empress and I would like to express our deep respect and gratitude to those people who have dedicated immeasurable efforts to the friendship between our two countries extending firmly into the future at the state banket in 197 1 my grandfather voiced his heartfelt wish for the people of both Japan and the United Kingdom in various walks of life to interact even more closer and frequently and to talk to each other with Open Hearts it was also my father’s sincere hope that our two peoples would continue Contin to strive for True Mutual understanding and to join hands in the course of world peace and prosperity as was expressed on the occasion of the subsequent stent banquet in 1998 today our society is increasingly diverse and complex facing various Global challenges it is necessary to address these critical issues by further amassing wisdom from around the world against this backdrop I am extremely pleased that in line with the fruitful dialogue between the people of our two countries conducted over the years with an open heart and with a quest for True Mutual understanding we have seen and will continue to see a myriad of areas whereby Japan and the UK lead the world in collaboration and cooperation one such area is the contribution that Japanese and Bri British scientists have made to the world through cutting Age Medical Research knowledge of ips cells came to the for through the research of Dr sha yamanaka for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine this was based on the PE the pr PR seeding research by Sir John berand Garden who was the joint winner of the Nobel Prize and has led to significant Innovations in regenerative medicine at the Francis Creek Institute which I will be visiting tomorrow many people including young researchers from our two countries are working together and taking on momentous new challenges in the areas of cancer research and countering influenza meanwhile I made a personal visit yesterday to the tus barrier built in the aftermath of the 1953 North Sea fraud the development of the capacity to predict storm surges in the UK owes a great deal to the role played by a Japanese scientist Dr shizuo ishiguro the father of s Kazu ishiguro the British novelist of Japanese extraction and winner of the Nobel Prize for literature Dr isigo was invited to join a UK Research Institute where he developed a practical model for the accurate and timely quantitative prediction of storm surges in the North Sea according to Sir Kazo the analog Computing system that Dr ishiguro developed based on his research looked like a t a time machine from the BBC drama Dr Fu I believe that the unique interdisciplinary Innovation by Dr ishiguro cutting across electronic engineering and oceanographic science continues to be a major source of inspiration for both Japanese and British researchers today transcending time and space during this visit I look forward to visiting for the first time in 23 years the Royal Botanic Gardens que of which your majesty is a patron there I hope to see the efforts made by the Millennium seed bank in preserving seeds to avoid their Extinction May I pay my respect concerning the initiatives your majesty has taken with both passion and a sense of urgency in such critical areas as climate change and biodiversity I am also encouraged that many people people in both our countries are taking a keen interest in such environmental issues and are dedicating themselves to the resolution of these challenges I have been told that seeds of Japanese Red Pine and other plants have been donated to the Millennium seed bank by IAT prefecture they they include those from the same type of tree as the miracle pine tree which was the only one to survive the tsunami damage in the Takata matsubara Pine Gro from the Great East Japan earthquake during which tens of thousands of pine trees were uprooted I believe that the seed will be preserved long into the future as symbols of resilience recovery from the earthquake and friendship between Japan and the UK I look forward to visiting again the Royal College of Music where I can see the state of the art performance laboratory as well as to visiting with with the empress young b and a where we will have a chance to interact with children from both our countries and gain a direct sense of how our culture and art are inspiring children transcending borders and time we also plan to visit Oxford sorry maybe the wrong place for your majesty where the empress and I both experienced the life and culture of this country as students and hope to make our humble contribution to promoting bilateral cooperation in the areas of Academia research and education as well as exchanges between our younger Generations the relationship between Japan and the UK has been fostered through peopleo people exchanges over the years and generations it would be a source of immense satisfactions if our visit to the United Kingdom could help to firly pass on the friendship and goodwi between our two countries to the young people and children who in the future will take on the on the L of our relationship and develop it even further today as your majesty also mentioned the multi layered collaboration and exchange between our two countries count is accelerating in various areas including politics and diplomacy the economy culture and the Arts Science and Technology as well as education our bilateral relations have never been more robust we can say that we are fortunate to have been given the opportunity to climb even higher on this Grand broad-based Mountain Guided by the paths troen by our forbearers with a feeling of gratitude respect and pride in our hearts it is my sincere hope that both Japan and the UK as friends like no other will continue to make untiring efforts for True Mutual understanding through exchanges of their people thereby building an enduring relationship based on friendship Goodwill and cooperation I would now like to propose a toast to the good health of your majesty to the Future development of our bilateral relationship and its contribution to the world and to the lasting happiness of the people of Japan and the United Kingdom [Music] [Applause] e