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| Emperor Naruhito (L) meets with U.S. first lady Jill Biden in Tokyo on July 23, 2021. (Photo by= Kyodo) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] TOKYO - Emperor Naruhito told U.S. first lady Jill Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other world leaders Friday that he has the "deepest respect" for all of the athletes who have gathered in Japan for the Olympics despite the challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic, Kyodo reported.
"It is my hope that the athletes will be able to give their best performance in good health fending off COVID-19 and mindful of the hot weather," the emperor said in a meeting with 12 foreign dignitaries from 11 countries at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The emperor, speaking in English, called for "an even greater unity of mind" of people worldwide to address the pandemic's challenges. In the meeting ahead of the Olympics' opening ceremony at National Stadium, the emperor also expressed hope that the Summer Games "will remind us of the spirit of Olympism, peace, and harmony, and that we will relay the torch of that spirit to the future."
It was the first time the emperor had met with Jill Biden, who is leading the U.S. delegation to the event. Macron, whose country will host the 2024 Summer Games, is the only head of state from the Group of Seven industrialized nations to attend the evening's spectacle.
