66th birthday the Emperor of Japan celebrated in Colombo (Pics)

2026-02-27 - 03:37

The Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka hosted a reception on Jan 25, 2026 to celebrate the 66th Birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. The event was held at the Ambassador’s Official Residence with Minister of Health and Mass Media – Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa as the Chief Guest. The reception was attended by Former Presidents and Speakers of Parliament, other Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, and other distinguished guests. Ambassador Akio Isomata, referring to the episode of Mr. Ranatunge Karunananda, a Sri Lankan athlete who participated in the men’s 10,000 meter run at the Tokyo Olympics of 1964 and finished last, but never gave up on the race, said in his remarks as the host of the reception: ” As Sri Lanka makes steady progress with economic recovery, and as all the resumed yen-loan projects, including the BIA expansion project, make smooth progress in their implementation, I believe the two countries will be seeing renewed opportunities for working together, including on large-scale infrastructure projects, in the near future. Let us remind ourselves of ‘The Runner Wearing Number 67’ (Mr. Karunananda). Sri Lanka stalled in its economic development for the past several years and had to run behind others, but we believe it can finish this recovery path successfully, never giving up and heading towards the next stage of stable and sustainable development.” Dr. Jayatissa, delivering remarks on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, warmly wished His Majesty the Emperor a long and healthy life, and extended greetings to the people of Japan. He recalled the successful visit of H.E. the President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake to Japan in September last year, and also emphasised the long-standing and multifaceted relations of the two countries varying from investment, development assistance, culture to people-to-people bonds. Participants also enjoyed experiencing vibrant Japanese cultural dimensions such as Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), Hina-Ningyo dolls for the Girl’s Festival and Yoroi-Kabuto (Samurai helmet and armour) for the Boy’s Festival, a Karate demonstration, and tasting of a variety of Japanese Sake. The event further strengthened deep and long-standing ties while fostering new friendships and collaboration.