NARUHITO HAILS KL-TOKYO TIES
He says nations are close in technological, cultural, political and economic fields
KUALA LUMPUR
THE Crown Prince of Japan, Naruhito, hailed the close ties between Malaysia and Japan, and fondly recalled his parents’ previous trips here during his maiden visit.
He said the friendly and cooperative ties between both nations had been steadfast for the past 60 years, with Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur having established diplomatic relations on Aug 31, 1957 — the day Malaysia declared its independence.
“The bilateral relationship is close in the technological and cultural spheres, as well as in the political and economic fields,” he said in his special lecture at University of Malaya (UM) here yesterday.
He said Malaysia’s Look East Policy provided the backdrop of such friendly relations, which, among others, saw more than 4,000 UM students further their studies in Japan.
“As many as 16,000 Malaysian youth were despatched to Japan as students and trainees, forming friendships with Japanese people and playing a vital role in the development of Malaysia on their return.”
Naruhito said he first heard of Malaysia when his parents, then the crown prince and crown princess of Japan, visited the country in 1970.
“While I do not clearly recollect what my parents told me about their visit to Malaysia, I can say that, as a child, I knew Malaysia as a country with a highly respected king.”
Naruhito remembered, in his younger days, having a stamp depicting a human face and a tiger with the word “Malaya” on it, which he later learned was from the Federation of Malaya.
“When my visit to Malaysia was decided, I again turned the page of my stamp album and found that the stamp was released on June 10th, 1960, the same year I was born.”
The event was graced by Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, who is UM chancellor.
Naruhito said it was Sultan Nazrin’s father, Sultan Azlan Shah, then the Malaysian king, who welcomed his parents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, when they visited the country in 1991.
Yesterday, he marked the start of his five-day visit to Malaysia by laying a wreath at the National Monument, or Tugu Negara, in honour of Malaysia’s fallen soldiers.
“A hundred Japanese students will come to the PermataPintar centre this year and 10 Malaysian students will be enrolled in selected schools in Japan.”
Rosmah said Naruhito was impressed with the approach and programmes at the centre.
“The crown prince said he was impressed with what is being done in the school and the programmes
In his address, he said peopleto-people exchanges between both countries were actually conducted hundreds of years ago.
He said records showed that the relationship between Japan and Malaysia dated back to trade ties between the Malacca Sultanate and the Ryukyu Kingdom in the 16th century.
“By the beginning of the 20th century, a number of Japanese people had visited and moved to Malaysia as they got involved in rubber production, iron ore mining and fisheries.” Bernama taught to the children.”
Naruhito spent nearly an hour at the centre, located in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
The Crown Prince was briefed on the centre’s development and successes, and was treated to a short performance by four PermataPintar students, who sang the Japanese folk song, Sakura, for him.