In December, there was a very important day for Japan. Belgrade enjoyed a formal reception held in order to celebrate the 82nd birthday of Emperor Akihito, who is 125th Japanese emperor, according to the traditional hereditary system. There were a number of guests, who were all greeted by H.E. Juichi Takahara, Ambassador of Japan to Serbia. He emphasised that Japan and Serbia might be two geographically distant countries, but there was a huge sentiment of friendship and warmth between them.
After the reception, the exhibition of kabuto, the Japanese samurai helmet soon followed, which was particularly attractive. Soon later, another interesting part of the reception was the Japanese calligraphic version of Petar II Petrović Njegoš’s famous work “Mountain wreath”. First Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, showed gratitute for Japan’s continuing humanitarian aid during hard times. The reception was attended by other members of the government, representatives of the diplomatic corps and other dignitaries.