The Emperor met with Pope Francis at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday, welcoming the 82-year-old pontiff at the carriage porch at around 11 a.m.
"Welcome to Japan. It's a pleasure to meet you," the Emperor said, greeting the pope in Spanish, before the two shook hands and entered the palace side-by-side.
It is the first papal visit to Japan since 1981.
According to the Imperial Household Agency, the Emperor hosted the pope in the Take-no-Ma audience room and the friendly encounter lasted about 20 minutes.
"I'm grateful that you've wholeheartedly gotten close to the people of Japan," the Emperor said to Pope Francis.
"In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I delivered my messages with all my heart," the pope replied, referring to his visits the previous day to the two cities hit by atomic bombs.
It was the first time the Emperor had met Pope Francis, according to the agency. He met Pope John Paul II in 1984 at the Vatican while he was studying in Britain.
When Pope John Paul II visited Japan in 1981 on the first papal visit to the country, he was greeted by Emperor Showa, who expressed his gratitude to the Catholic Church for extending support to Japan through charity programs when the country was going through hardships following the end of World War II.
The Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita also met Pope John Paul II on the outskirts of Rome when the couple visited Italy in 1993.
Prior to his visit to the Imperial Palace, Pope Francis spoke to an audience of about 300 survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and others in Tokyo.
The pope called for ending the reliance on nuclear power generation in the wake of the accident triggered by the quake at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
"I believe important decisions should be made about the energy source for the future," he said.
Three survivors from Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures spoke about their experiences at the time of the disaster and described how far off the areas are from achieving full reconstruction.
After listing to the accounts, Pope Francis delivered a speech.
"Issues on war, refugees, food, economic disparity and the environment cannot be dealt with separately," the pope said.
As these issues are related to each other, he called for a comprehensive approach to solve them.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
