Japanese prince to visit Türkiye to mark 100 years of ties

ISTANBUL

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko are set to visit Türkiye in December to mark the centennial of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The visit is scheduled to commence on Dec. 3 and is expected to span six days, according to Japan’s Imperial Household Agency.

The crown prince and princess are slated to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the capital Ankara on Dec. 4, after which they will proceed to Istanbul for a commemorative ceremony.

In Istanbul, the royal couple will tour a museum hosting an exhibition dedicated to the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul, which tragically sank off the coast of Japan in 1890.

The Ottoman naval ship was sent to Japan to deliver a message of friendship from Sultan Abdülhamit II to Emperor Meiji in 1889. However, the frigate was caught in a typhoon and sank off the coast of Wakayama Prefecture, leading to the loss of 540 sailors. The Ertuğrul disaster is revered as the origin of Turkish-Japanese friendship, though formal diplomatic ties were established a year after the founding of the Turkish Republic.

The royal pair is expected to return to Japan on Dec. 8.

Prince Fumihito, 58, is the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, the 126th emperor of Japan, who ascended the throne in May 2019.

As a part of the centennial celebrations, the Japanese naval vessels were opened to the public in Istanbul, offering Turkish citizens a rare glimpse.

This year, the Turkish corvette TCG Kınalıada also visited Japan as part of its expedition retracing the route of the frigate Ertuğrul.

Throughout the voyage, diplomatic courtesies were extended at the highest levels in all visited nations, with the corvette's crew paying formal visits to 41 dignitaries, including ministers, chiefs of general staff, force commanders, governors and unit commanders.