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Friday June 9, 10:49 PMLEAD: Emperor says Japan cannot forget Singaporeans' WWII hardships(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING WITH REMARKS OF EMPEROR, SINGAPORE PRESIDENT)Japanese Emperor Akihito said Friday it cannot be forgotten that Singaporeans went through hardships during World War II. "We cannot forget that there were people who underwent various hardships also in your country at the time of the last world war," the emperor said in his address at a banquet hosted by Singaporean President S. R. Nathan and his wife Urmila Nandey at the president's official residence, Japanese Imperial Household Agency officials said. "People in our country have, thinking of this history, devoted themselves to regional stability and development of Southeast Asia as well as for peace and prosperity of the world." The emperor and his wife, Empress Michiko, arrived Thursday in Singapore on the first leg of their weeklong Asian tour that will also take them to Malaysia and Thailand. Last year the royal couple visited Saipan to offer condolences for those who died in the war there. The Singaporean president said in opening the banquet that he is convinced Japan and Singapore will expand cooperation and exchanges based on their friendship, the officials said. He refrained from touching on the massacres and other damage Singapore, which was a British territory at the time, incurred under Japanese wartime occupation, the officials said. During their earlier conversation, Nathan said his country was able to develop by learning from Japanese the importance of discipline, sense of trust and responsibility. The emperor responded that he felt happy the two countries' cooperative ties have contributed to the development of Singapore, according to the officials. Singapore marks the 40th anniversary of its national foundation and normalization of diplomatic relations with Japan this year. Their talks also covered an incident in 1974 when Japanese Red Army terrorists hijacked a ship near an island off Singapore, in which the president, then as senior defense ministry member, played a key role in negotiating the hostages' release. Earlier in the day, the imperial couple attended a welcoming ceremony at the president's office held at a roofed terrace due to the heavy rain. The imperial couple also met before the banquet with former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his wife, whom they have known for a long time. |
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