Emperor Akihito will visit Vietnam in late February, Japan said Friday, a trip aimed at cementing ties with a nation that Tokyo sees as part of a regional bulwark against China’s territorial ambitions.
The 83-year-old emperor’s visit to Vietnam, scheduled to take place from Feb. 28 to March 5, follows on the heels of a stop in Hanoi on Monday by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The visit to Vietnam will be the first by an emperor of Japan, the foreign ministry said.
Emperor Akihito, who will be accompanied by Empress Michiko, will also stop in Thailand to pay a condolence call over the death in October of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Both Vietnam and Japan have territorial disputes with China. Beijing claims islands in the East China Sea that are controlled by Japan, while China and Vietnam contest each other’s claims to a swath of the South China Sea.
On his visit to Hanoi, Mr. Abe said, “The peace and prosperity of this region depends on whether these seas will be kept open to free navigation.”
Under Japan’s constitution, the emperor serves as the symbol of the state and has no political role. However, the emperor’s trips often serve to bolster relations with nations seen as friendly toward Tokyo.
In January 2016, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the Philippines, another nation that has disputes with China over territory, and paid their respects at a monument remembering World War II dead.
