State Visit from the Emperor and Empress of Japan: Spring 2020 [postponed]

[muriel]

Query if we will have an incoming state visit from Japan this year in the autumn or in spring 2024?

 

[Iluvbertie]

So far there has been no announcement from either court.

Normally incoming British State Visits are announced at the State Opening of Parliament which is set for 7th November.

With the postponed French State Visit also to be rescheduled I suspect that Japan may be on the back burner, especially if the rumour that Charles wants to make a large Commonwealth tour next year is true.

 

[muriel]

So far there has been no announcement from either court.

Normally incoming British State Visits are announced at the State Opening of Parliament which is set for 7th November.

With the postponed French State Visit also to be rescheduled I suspect that Japan may be on the back burner, especially if the rumour that Charles wants to make a large Commonwealth tour next year is true.

In QE2's reign, the pattern used to be an outgoing state visit and an incoming one in the Autumn, and the same in the spring. So I suspect both France (outgoing) and Japan, or any other country (incoming) can be accomoated this spring.

As regards Commonwealth, I expect there will be one trip to Aus & NZ and another to Canada in the not too distant future.

 

[Prisma]

Japanese media report planning is underway for the UK state visit in late June. Possibly June 22-29

Japan imperial couple state visit to Britain planned for June - Kyodo News

Preparations between the British and Japanese governments are proceeding with consideration for the king's health. Buckingham Palace said in February that Charles has been diagnosed with cancer and advised to postpone public-facing duties while he undergoes treatment.

Emperor, Empress to Make State Visit to U.K. on Invitation of King Charles; Their Second Overseas Goodwill Trip - The Japan News

According to sources familiar with the matter, the Imperial couple will leave Japan on June 22 for London. In addition to attending the welcoming ceremony and banquet at Buckingham Palace, the Emperor and Empress will attend a luncheon with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, a dinner hosted by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and other occasions.

On the sideline of official events, the two governments are arraigning that the Imperial couple will attend a gathering of people who have contributed to the friendly relations between the two countries and will inspect a facility regarding transportation on the Thames River, a theme that the Emperor researched while he was studying in the United Kingdom for two years from 1983.

On the final day of the visit, the Imperial couple will visit the University of Oxford. One idea that has surfaced is that the two will tour sites connected to their memories as they visit the university’s Merton College, were the Emperor studied, and Balliol College, where the Empress studied, before heading to the airport to leave for Japan. The two are scheduled to return to Japan on June 29.

NTV also mentions visiting Queen Elizabeth II's tomb.

 

[Blog Real]

It's a good new. I am looking forward to this visit.

 

[doro]

Japanese media report planning is underway for the UK state visit in late June. Possibly June 22-29

Japan imperial couple state visit to Britain planned for June - Kyodo News


Emperor, Empress to Make State Visit to U.K. on Invitation of King Charles; Their Second Overseas Goodwill Trip - The Japan News


NTV also mentions visiting Queen Elizabeth II's tomb.

Hoping to become truth!

 

[wbenson]

The state visit is confirmed for June.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1783904181163614445

 

[Blog Real]

It's excellent news. I'm looking forward to this visit.

 

[Stefan]

Good News. Finally this State Visit is taking place

 

[W.Y.CII]

Finally! Great!

 

[Prinsara]

It's a reschedule, but how does this work protocol-wise since Charles is the newer monarch and hasn't been to Japan while reigning?

 

[Blog Real]

Today it was announced that the state visit will take place at the late in June.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1784131881958621479

 

[Tatiana Maria]

It's a reschedule, but how does this work protocol-wise since Charles is the newer monarch and hasn't been to Japan while reigning?

I wonder if the British king's cancer treatment is taking priority over protocol.

 

[Prinsara]

I wonder if the British king's cancer treatment is taking priority over protocol.

Then it seems slightly odd to be prioritizing his treatment by adding the stress of a state visit in-between rounds of whatever is medically necessary for his health, since we know it's not complete.

If you mean the king having cancer has changed the protocol, at least for the moment, it might be a possibility.

 

[Stefan]

Then it seems slightly odd to be prioritizing his treatment by adding the stress of a state visit in-between rounds of whatever is medically necessary for his health, since we know it's not complete.

If you mean the king having cancer has changed the protocol, at least for the moment, it might be a possibility.

I think that the Emperor makes a State visit to the UK as opposed to the King paying a State visit to Japan is because the original Invitation was from the late Queen, and the State visit was not cancelled but rather postponed.

 

[Somebody]

To me it seems more likely that it is because of the postponement that they are visiting even though Charles ascended the throne more recently. They were supposed to visit queen Elizabeth who clearly had been reigning much longer than the emperor.

 

[wbenson]

Does the UK even observe that protocol? Just from eyeballing the list, it looks like Elizabeth II received the longer-reigning monarchs of Sweden, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Belgium, Greece, Thailand, Nepal, Japan, and Afghanistan before she'd visited those monarchs (and in the case of Greece, Iraq, and Afghanistan never did).

 

[Prinsara]

Does the UK even observe that protocol? Just from eyeballing the list, it looks like Elizabeth II received the longer-reigning monarchs of Sweden, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Belgium, Greece, Thailand, Nepal, Japan, and Afghanistan before she'd visited those monarchs (and in the case of Greece, Iraq, and Afghanistan never did).

When was the last of those visits? Perhaps the protocol solidified in the interval.

 

[muriel]

Does the UK even observe that protocol? Just from eyeballing the list, it looks like Elizabeth II received the longer-reigning monarchs of Sweden, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Belgium, Greece, Thailand, Nepal, Japan, and Afghanistan before she'd visited those monarchs (and in the case of Greece, Iraq, and Afghanistan never did).

I think you are correct, this is not a protocol the UK tends to follow.

I also think, despite having just ascended the throne, Charles is seen as quite the senior royal amongst some of his peers (Felipe, W-A, Fred, Naruhito...)

 

[W.Y.CII]

I guess it'd be the better thread to discuss this......from the tiara guessing thread:

We don't quite know if Queen Camilla will receive a Japanese order, as the UK tends not to give out orders to consorts, and by reciprocal arrangement, UK consorts ought to not receive any.

While it's true that UK normally not gives order to visiting consorts, Japan seems not affected and having a reciprocal arrangement on giving out theirs order. Nagako didn't receive any order from the British back in 1975, only Hirohito received (precisely "re-received") the Garter, but they're still quite generous: Philip and Charles received the highest order, while Anne and Margaret also got the lower one.
Philip, Charles and Margaret
Anne behind Nagako
(Interesting though seems she didn't wear it in the Japan state visit by Akihito in 1998 [I think she's in the back on left].)

However it could tell nothing as they're the former-monarch and former-former-monarch, maybe Naruhito and Charles would do it completely different...maybe Charles will give order to Masako while Naruhito give out nothing, who knows! After all it's both Naruhito's and Charles' first monarch-monarch state visit.