The crown prince of Japan, Naruhito, visited the National Congress on Wednesday (18). The visit was the first step in the prince’s travel to Brazil, during the celebration of the centennial of Japanese immigration to the country.
Naruhito and an entourage of 50 people, among officials, theater actors and celebrities, such as the Miss of Japanese Immigration, Adriana Inagaki, arrived at the Black Hall at 15 o’clock, escorted by members of the ceremonial of the Presidency of the Senate. They were welcomed by the president of the Senate, Garibaldi Alves Filho, and a group of senators, including senator Heráclito Fortes (DEM-PI), president of the Committee on External Relations and National Defense of the Senate.
During the ceremony, many themes were debated, such as immigration and Japanese contribution to Brazilian development, according to Garibaldi.
- The Japanese made a very large contribution to agriculture, in a first moment. Later, they began contributing to science, culture, and other fields. They are a very intelligent and creative people. I told him [the prince] that in many regions of the country, we are today celebrating 100 years of immigration – said the president of the Senate.
Senator Romeu Tuma (PTB-SP) told the prince that his grandsons were “sansei (grandsons of Japanese)”, and senator Eduardo Azeredo (PSDB-MG) reported on his meeting with Naruhito’s parents, emperor Akihito and his spouse Michiko, in Belo Horizonte (MG), in 1988. Senator Gerson Camata (PMDB-ES) said that the prince spoke of his satisfaction to be in Brazil. According to the senator, Naruhito said he visited Brazil, unofficially, in 1982.
On Wednesday morning, the imperial entourage was received by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in a visit during which a stamp and a coin celebrating the occasion were launched. Lula talked about new opportunities of investment in Brazil in the areas of infrastructure, ironworks, electronics and automotive industry, reminding that the country benefited from great Japanese investments made in the last decades.