At the invitation of the Japanese government, the Grand Duke is travelling to Japan for a state visit from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 November 2017, accompanied by Princess Alexandra.
Also participating in the State visit will be Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, Étienne Schneider, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, and Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance. In addition, an economic delegation composed of a hundred representatives of the business world will accompany the Luxembourg head of state.
PROGRAMME
On Monday, HRH the Grand Duke and Princess Alexandra will be officially welcomed by the Emperor and Empress of Japan at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. HRH the Grand Duke will then deliver the opening speech of the Japan-Luxembourg Business Forum. This seminar will enable Luxembourg companies to establish contacts or deepen their relations with local companies in areas such as logistics, tourism and information technology.
Later, at Sophia University, HRH the Grand Duke will be awarded at a ceremony the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. A meeting with students, professors and staff is also planned.
At the Hama House in Tokyo, Deputy Prime Minister Étienne Schneider will officially open the Luxembourg pop-up café which will be open from 27 November to 17 December 2017, as part of the tourism promotion policy of Luxembourg.
Luxembourg's Foreign and European Affairs Minister, Jean Asselborn, will meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono to review bilateral relations as well as key issues in international political affairs.
A gala dinner hosted by the Emperor and the Empress of Japan at the Imperial Palace in honour of HRH the Grand Duke will close this first day of the state visit.
On Tuesday, HRH the Grand Duke and Princess Alexandra and the Emperor and Empress of Japan will travel by imperial train to Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, 60 km from Tokyo. The delegation will visit the Tsukuba Space Centre of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, in the presence of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. , Yoshimasa Hayashi. The tour will cover the Hayabusa spacecraft, the Hayabusa 2 return capsule with asteroid samples and the Japanese Kibo experimental module from the International Space Station.
Minister Asselborn will speak at Sophia University in Tokyo in an interactive conference-debate on topics related to the current state and future of the European Union.
In the evening, HRH the Grand Duke will meet with the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, at his residence, with Ministers Schneider and Gramegna, followed by a dinner which will also be attended by HRH Princess Alexandra.
On Wednesday, two conferences will be held: firstly, the Luxembourg-Japan Space Conference will be held at the Konica Minolta Planetarium Tenku, to focus on space challenges and opportunities and will be followed by a panel discussion. HRH the Grand Duke will have the opportunity to visit the second tallest tower in the world, the Tokyo Skytree. Minister Schneider will also meet with Japan's Minister of State for Space Policy, Masaji Matsuyama.
Secondly, the Luxembourg-Japan Finance Conference will opened by of HRH the Grand Duchess, broadcast by video link. This conference, which will be attended by many players in the financial world, will be attended by Princess Alexandra and Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna.
Several memoranda of understanding will be signed on the sidelines of this state visit.
The official delegation and the economic delegation will then participate in an end-of-visit reception offered by the Luxembourg Embassy in Tokyo. The state visit will conclude with a concert given by HRH the Grand Duke in honor of the Emperor and Empress of Japan at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo.
