Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on March 2 visited the Museum of Biology of the Vietnam National University in Hanoi where specimens of white goby fish and Onagadori chicken, gifts from the Japanese Royal Family, are preserved.

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko look at a specimen display in the Museum of Biology in Hanoi

A passionate researcher of freshwater fish, Emperor Akihito discovered a new species of white goby fish in the world in a Can Tho River tributary when he was conducting his PhD essay on fish in the south of Vietnam in the 1970s. He presented a specimen of the fish to the museum in 1976.

Meanwhile, Onagadori is a specious breed of chicken of Japan, which was a present of Prince Akishino for the museum on August 17, 2012.

During the visit, part of their ongoing six-day State visit to Vietnam from February 28, Emperor Akihito and his spouse showed interest in specimens of various animal and plant species displayed in the museum, especially rare ones.

Established in 1926 under the Biology Faculty of the Hanoi University of Technology, which is now the University of Natural Sciences under the Vietnam National University, the Museum of Biology is the first of its kind in Indochina.

It is part of the Vietnam National Museum of Nature system, which is keeping and conserving hundreds of thousands of specimens of animals and plants collected since the late 19th century, including those from different areas across the world, which are presents from the heads of state, scientists and foreign museums.

Japanese Emperor’s Vietnam visit attracts media attention

Emperor Akihito meets Vietnamese families with connection to former Japanese soldiers.

The visit of the Japanese Emperor and Empress to Vietnam from February 28 to March 5 has received a lot of attention from the world media. 

On March 1, many major Japanese newspapers carried on the front page the warm welcome given to the Japanese royal couple in Vietnam. 

The Kyodo News quoted Emperor Akihito as saying at a State banquet hosted by President Tran Dai Quang on March 1 evening that "It is my sincere hope that our visit will contribute to further deepening our mutual understanding and strengthening the ties of friendly relations between the people of Vietnam and the people of Japan."

Japanese media highlighted that Vietnam and Japan are strategic partners and Japan is currently the top economic partner and the largest ODA provider of Vietnam. 

Some cited comments by political analyst Le Hong Hiep at Singapore’s Institute for South East Asia Studies, noting that this is the first visit by a Japanese Emperor to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic ties. In addition, it took place less than two months after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Hanoi, which showed the close ties and high mutual trust between the two nations. 

Public broadcaster NHK said the Emperor and Empress’s visit added freshness and made the Vietnam-Japan ties more complete. 

Talking to the French news agency AFP, Yuji Otabe, professor at Shizuoka University of Welfare and expert on Japanese modern history said, "This is a very meaningful visit for both Japan and Vietnam as the emperor, who is expected to retire soon, shows his deep sympathy towards people who suffered from history."

VNA