Emperor Naruhito speaks at a news conference at the Imperial Palace on July 2 ahead of his visit to Mongolia. (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency)

Photo/Illutration Emperor Naruhito at a news conference at the Imperial Palace on July 2 ahead of his visit to Mongolia (Pool)

Emperor Naruhito hopes that his visit to Mongolia to commemorate Japanese wartime detainees who died there under harsh conditions will stimulate exchanges between younger generations of the two countries.

“I will pay respect to those who died in a land far from home against their will and reflect on their hardships,” Naruhito, who will be the first emperor to visit the East Asian country, told a news conference at the Imperial Palace on July 2.

During a visit as state guests on July 6-13, Naruhito and Empress Masako will lay flowers on a memorial monument for Japanese detainees in Ulan Bator on July 8.

Of Japanese nationals detained by the Soviet Union after World War II, about 14,000 were transported to Mongolia. They were forced to engage in construction and other hard labor, and about 1,700 died of malnutrition and other causes.

“I expect that exchanges will become more active, particularly among younger generations, and that they will serve as a bridge between the two countries, further deepening their friendship and goodwill,” Naruhito said.

The imperial couple have been invited by Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.

Naruhito will be traveling to Mongolia for the second time.

His first visit as crown prince in 2007 was on the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Masako, a former diplomat, will be visiting Mongolia for the first time.

The upcoming visit will be the couple’s third trip to a foreign country to promote international goodwill after ones to Indonesia and Britain.

Naruhito and Masako consoled the souls of the war dead in Hiroshima, Okinawa and Iwojima, now officially called Iwoto island, this year on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

They are also expected to visit Nagasaki and the Tokyo Memorial Hall, which commemorates victims of the 1945 Great Tokyo Air Raid and the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

“I learned a little about the unimaginable hardships,” Naruhito said at the news conference, referring to his trips to Hiroshima, Okinawa and Iwojima. “I had my heart broken, and I was also reminded of the importance of peace.”

He said it is important to remember those who died, deepen understanding of history and foster a love for peace.

Citing the shrinking number of people who experienced the war, Naruhito emphasized the importance of hearing directly from them, passing on their memories to the next generations and promoting an understanding of the war.

The Imperial Household Agency is arranging for Princess Aiko, the only child of Naruhito and Masako, to travel to Laos in November on her first official visit to a foreign country.

Naruhito said he hopes the visit will promote friendship and goodwill between the two countries.

Princess Kako, a daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, visited Brazil in June.

Naruhito said Aiko has heard details of Kako’s trip, such as local situations, from her.

(This article was written by Yasuhiko Shima, a senior staff writer, and Ayako Nakada.)

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