In his first visit to any South Asian country after taking over the throne in 1990, Japan's Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko arrived in Delhi on Saturday.
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In a rare and special gesture the Indian government has invited Japanese imperial couple Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to stay at Parliament House for a day during their India visit in the third week of November.
Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko took a morning stroll at the beautiful Lodhi Gardens and interacted with schoolchildren, diplomats and a section of lay people on their historic visit to New Delhi.
For the Japanese living in India it was like a dream come true when they took a walk in Delhi's Lodhi Gardens along with the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Rediff.com's Vipin Vijayan captures the euphoria
Departing from the usual protocol, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife will receive Japanese Emperor Akihito and his spouse Empress Michiko who will arrive in New Delhi on Saturday on a six-day visit, their first to any South Asian country after being enthroned in 1990.
As hectic efforts were on to contain Japan's worst atomic crisis, police in protective gear on Thursday for the first time launched a search for tsunami victims in a 10-km zone around a radiation-leaking nuclear plant while Premier Naoto Kan vowed to rebuild the nation amid growing opposition calls for him to quit.
Earlier, Trump also praised the US-Japan military alliance and thanked the US troops for keeping all safe and boosted the country's military ability.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be the chief guest at this year's Republic Day parade at Rajpath in New Delhi.
The long-reigning monarch is the first to abdicate his throne in nearly 200 years.
Japanese Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko'six-day on Saturday to India is expected to be defining moment in India-Japan relations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four-day trip to Japan from August 31 to bolster bilateral ties in key areas of civil nuclear cooperation, security, defence and trade.
Japan marks the fourth anniversary of a quake-tsunami disaster that swept away thousands of people.
In recent years India-Japan relations have acquired rich economic content and strategic intents. Although the bilateral trade at $18 billion between the two countries is not very impressive and leaves much to be desired, the economic engagement between the two countries is both qualitatively and quantitatively noteworthy. India-Japan defence cooperation, however, has generated a lot interest among the strategic community in the context of rise of China. There has been a lot of speculation about India-Japan strategic partnership to hedge China, says Rup Narayan Das.
The emperor has no political power, yet he enjoys a unique place in Japanese society, notes Dr Rajaram Panda.
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As Japan beefs up its defences against China, both New Delhi and Tokyo seem to have decided to re-energise their relationship to ensure a strategic balance in Asia. It is a clear signal that they may be ready to work together in containing if not confronting China, says Nitin Gokhale.
In the media frenzy over inconsequential issues, the visit of the Emperor of Japan to India has been pushed to the margins of public discourse. Colonel (retd) Anil Athale explains the great historical and political significance of the visit.
India and Japan have a shared interest in countervailing China's hegemonic ambitions in Asia. Although neither has an interest in forming an overt anti-China alliance, Tokyo and New Delhi feel increasingly obligated to work together to find ways to guard against a muscular Beijing's power sliding into arrogance, says Brahma Chellaney.
Japan has the capital and needs to pull out of China, which has been its major destination. India, on the other hand, desperately needs capital especially for infrastructure, argues Rajeev Srinivasan.
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