Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will travel to Belgium for an official visit on 23 and 24 June, commemorating 160 years of diplomatic relations between the two
nations and marking the first visit by a reigning Japanese emperor to Belgium in more than three decades.
The trip highlights the longstanding relationship between the Belgian and Japanese royal families, a connection that dates back to 1921 when Crown Prince Hirohito — later Emperor Showa — paid the first official Japanese imperial visit to Belgium. He was welcomed by King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth, laying the foundation for decades of close royal and diplomatic exchanges.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako last visited Belgium in 1999 while still serving as Crown Prince and Crown Princess. During that trip, they attended the wedding celebrations of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in Brussels.
King Philippe has also maintained close ties with Japan through several official visits, including a state visit in 2016 and attendance at Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony in Tokyo in 2019.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Belgian Royal Palace said the upcoming state visit would celebrate the “flourishing friendship” between the two countries and reinforce future cooperation.
“Since the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation of 1866, cooperation between Belgium and Japan has continued to grow,” the palace said. “The imperial couple’s state visit offers an opportunity to celebrate the flourishing friendship between our two countries and to deepen our bilateral relations in the coming years.”
Although the official programme has yet to be announced, the visit is expected to spotlight the strong economic and cultural partnership between Belgium and Japan, including shared interests in gastronomy, the arts and classical music.
Economic ties between the two countries remain substantial. Around 300 Japanese companies operate in Belgium, employing approximately 25,000 people, while roughly 80 Belgian companies are active in Japan. Annual trade between the two nations totals around 2 trillion yen, equivalent to nearly €11 billion.
The imperial visit also comes as Flanders strengthens its own engagement with Japan. Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele is currently leading an economic mission focused on life sciences and innovation cooperation. Photo by 首相官邸ホームページ, Wikimedia commons.