Addresses by His Majesty the Emperor (2025)

I wish to extend a heartfelt welcome to Your Excellency Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, and to Mrs. Lula da Silva, on the occasion of your State Visit to Japan.

This year marks the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Japan in 1895. Over the past 130 years, our two countries have strengthened this relationship, expanding beyond politics and economics to encompass an even broader range of fields, including culture and sports and it has been growing closer than ever in recent years. The number of visitors from Brazil to Japan has been increasing. Moreover, around 210,000 Brazilian nationals currently reside in Japan, making significant contributions to our country’s economy, the revitalization of our local communities, and people-to-people exchanges between our two countries. Brazilian festivals are held annually across Japan. Meanwhile, I have also heard that Japanese festivals are thriving in Brazil, from the Amazon region in the north to the south of the country, with the proactive engagement of young people of Nikkei (Japanese immigrants and descendants) . Through this year’s Japan-Brazil Friendship Exchange Year, I sincerely hope that the friendly and cooperative relations between Japan and Brazil will deepen further.

Looking back, my first official overseas visit was to Brazil, in 1982. The warm welcome I received from then President Figueiredo and the people of Brazil is still fresh in my mind. At the same time, The vastness of your country, its diversity, and the cheerfulness of its people left a profound impression on me.

In 2008, I had the opportunity to visit your country again on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of Japanese Immigration to Brazil. During that visit, I was honoured to receive your heartfelt hospitality in Brasilia. Seventeen years have passed since that time, and I am truly moved to be able to welcome Your Excellency President Lula da Silva and Mrs. Lula da Silva as State Guests to Japan and host this banquet tonight.

During my visit to Brazil, I had the opportunity to see handcrafted tools and historical documents of the early Japanese immigrants, which made me aware of the hardships they endured and the efforts they made. Away from their homeland of Japan, those immigrants and their descendants, people of Nikkei , have played a vital role in the development of Brazilian society. It must also not be forgotten the kindness and support of the Brazilian government and the people of Brazil, who have warmly welcomed Japanese immigrants with open arms. I am delighted that some members of the Nikkei Brazilian community, who have contributed to strengthening the ties of friendship between our two countries, are present today at this banquet, held in honour of President Lula’s State Visit to Japan.

Japan and Brazil have collaborated in various fields over the years. In the field of sustainable development, Nikkei farmers in northern Brazil developed an agroforestry approach that integrates the cultivation of pepper, tropical fruit trees, and timber, achieving sustainable land use and forest conservation, which have been carried forward to this day. In this effort, Japan has provided various forms of support, such as dispatching experts and developing tropical fruit juice processing plants. I am also told that many individuals such as people of Nikkei and JICA personnel from Japan have dedicated themselves in the process of developing the Cerrado, a vast savannah region in Brazil that had long been referred to as a infertile land, into an agricultural zone. I myself have had the opportunity to visit the Cerrado Agricultural Research Center(current Embrapa, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) in Brasilia twice. I am pleased to see that through the long-standing cooperation between Japan and Brazil, Brazil has become a world-class food supplier.

At present, the world is experiencing an increase in natural disasters caused by the effects of climate change. I am deeply saddened about the severe flooding that occurred last year in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, caused by torrential rain, which claimed many precious lives and affected a large number of people. I sincerely pray for the state’s smooth and swift recovery. In Japan as well, we experienced numerous natural disasters last year, including the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and repeated torrential rain events across the country. I hope that Japan and Brazil will continue to cooperate in contributing to the global community in the areas of environmental protection and climate change, which Your Excellency has prioritized, as well as in the field of disaster risk reduction.

A beautiful spring is now setting in across Japan, with cherry blossoms beginning to bloom in Tokyo. I sincerely hope that your visit will be one that is fruitful and memorable. I would now like to propose a toast to the good health of Your Excellency President Lula da Silva and Mrs. Lula da Silva, and to the continued happiness of the people of Brazil.