Politics & Government

Japan’s First Lady Visits Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington

Courtesy of the Foreign Ministry
Yuko Kishida, wife of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center, poses for a photo with U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in Washington on Monday.

By Takayuki Fuchigami / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:58 JST, April 18, 2023

WASHINGTON — Yuko Kishida, wife of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, visited the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington on Sunday.

After an official for the annual event explained that it provides an opportunity for people in the United States to experience Japanese culture, Kishida said she hoped the festival would strengthen people’s interest in Japan. She also visited the National Museum of Asian Art, where she observed the restoration of Japanese artworks.

Kishida, who is visiting the United States on her own at the invitation of U.S. first lady Jill Biden from Sunday through Tuesday, met U.S. President Joe Biden and the first lady at the White House on Monday.