During the state visit, the Swedish Government shall be represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Carl Bildt, and by the Minister for Health and Social Affairs Mr Göran Hägglund.
A delegation with representatives from the industrial and business sectors, as well as a delegation with special focus on health care matters, shall be visiting Japan at the same time.
The state visit highlights the good nature of the Japanese-Swedish relations. During the state visit, a number of symposia and presentations on issues of bilateral importance will take place. Among issues to be discussed are environment and energy, information technology in elderly care, dementia, Biotech and Medtech, traffic safety, and children’s rights. Culturally the program includes an exhibition about the scientist Carl Linnaeus, and various visits to Japanese cultural institutions.
Their Majesties The King’s and Queen’s of Sweden programme in brief:
Monday, 26 MarchTheir Majesties the King and Queen will attend the welcoming ceremony and state call at the Imperial Palace.
The King will then attend a symposium on Energy arranged by the Science and Technology Office of the Embassy of Sweden, Sweden-Japan Foundation and Japan-Sweden Foundation. The King will then attend a luncheon with representatives of the Japanese industry. In the afternoon he shall be visiting a Biotech and Medtech symposium organized by the Embassy of Sweden (Swedish Trade Council, the Invest in Sweden Agency, and the Science Office) in cooperation with National Cardiovascular Center in Japan.The Queen will visit Tokyo Midtown with its ‘21_21 Design Sight’ – a new space for design activities by Issey Miyake and Tadao Ando. Thereafter she will attend a presentation about the activities of Silvia Nurses in Japan. Based on the care philosophy of the Silvia Home in Stockholm these nurses educate caregivers in Japan. In the afternoon, the Queen shall be attending a symposium on dementia and information technology in elderly care, arranged by the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun and the Embassy of Sweden.
In the evening Their Majesties will be attending the state dinner at the Imperial Palace. Tuesday, 27 MarchTheir Majesties the King and Queen will visit the National Science Museum in Tokyo, where an exhibition about Carl Linnaeus opens. Among the objects on display is the first edition of Systema Naturae. A modern photo exhibition about the work of Linnaeus is also be shown. Their Majesties shall also be meeting with Japanese Nobel Laurates.
The King and Queen shall thereafter continue to Ota Memorial Museum of Art – where they will learn about Japanese woodblock prints, ukiyoe. Luncheon will be taken with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
In the afternoon Their Majesties will visit the technology company SONY.
The King then shall attend a symposium on traffic safety arranged by the Embassy of Sweden, Invest in Sweden Agency and Intelligent Transport Systems – ITS Japan – in cooperation with Japanese ministries and agencies.
Meanwhile, The Queen will visit the National Art Center in central Tokyo.
In the evening, Their Majesties shall hold a return banquet. Wednesday, 28 MarchTheir Majesties the King and Queen will travel for an outing in the Tokyo region.
Thursday, 29 MarchThe Farewell call ending the state visit will held in the morning.
The King visits Toyota Higashi-Fuji Technical Centre where he shall study automotive technology, while the Queen shall participate in a symposium on the sexual exploitation of children. The symposium is organized by ECPAT Japan, UNICEF, and the Embassy of Sweden. The Queen shall then visits the Ghibli Museum outside Tokyo. The museum is dedicated to Japanese animation films by the director Hayao Miyazaki.
In the evening, Their Majesties will be travelling to Nagasaki.
Friday, 30 MarchTheir Majesties the King and Queen will visit Nagasaki in southern Japan. The Atomic Bomb Museum, the Peace Park, the Nagasaki City Museum of History and Folklore, and Dejima shall be on the agenda for the day. Dejima is of special interest since the disciple of Linnaeus, Carl Peter Thunberg lived and worked there in the years of 1775–76.