PM Lee and Ho Ching lunch with Japanese Emperor and Empress at Tokyo's Imperial Palace
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (L) and his wife Ho Ching (2nd L) are seen off by Japanese Emperor Akihito (2nd R) and Empress Michiko (R) after their luncheon at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo Japan in this handout picture taken September 27, 2016, and provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. Photo: Imperial Household Agency of Japan/Handout via Reuters
TOKYO — Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching were hosted to lunch on Tuesday (Sept 27) by Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at their residence in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, as part of Mr Lee’s official visit to Japan this week.
The Imperial Couple last hosted tea for Mr Lee during his previous official visit to Japan in March 2007.
The Imperial Palace compound sits in the heart of Tokyo, surrounded by moats and spanning about 115ha, with sprawling gardens. A former Edo castle, it was designated the Imperial Palace in 1868. It contains the Imperial Residence where the Emperor and Empress live, the Imperial Palace where functions are conducted, a silkworm factory, a concert hall, and the East Gardens — a public park — among other things.
Among the Imperial Couple’s official duties are to receive heads of state and other guests invited by the Japanese government for official and state visits, to foster good relations with foreign countries. They also hold audiences — meetings — with foreign heads of state, prime ministers, ambassadors and their spouses, and other distinguished guests, during which they converse with the guests.
Emperor Akihito, 82, the ceremonial head of state of Japan, recently sparked a debate when he expressed his desire to step aside for Crown Prince Naruhito to assume the throne in a rare televised speech. The current laws do not allow an emperor to abdicate by choice.
