Politics & Government

Yuko Kishida Introduces Haiku to U.S. Students; Engages in Events to Deepen Bilateral Friendship

AP
From left, Yuko Kishida, wife of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, first lady Jill Biden and poet Kimiko Hahn applaud a high school student after she read a poem in Japanese and English on Wednesday in Washington.

By Takayuki Fuchigami and Kenta Kamimura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

6:00 JST, April 13, 2024

WASHINGTON — Yuko Kishida, the wife of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, together with U.S. First Lady Jill Biden met in the library in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House with U.S. high school students studying Japanese language on Wednesday.

Kishida introduced Japanese 17-syllable haiku poems and said, “Poetry and literature have the power to connect people’s hearts and deepen their understanding by transcending language and national boundaries.” After students read out their poems, she said, “I could really sense the seasons and nature and your feelings toward them in your poems.”

Jill Biden stressed the importance of person-to-person exchanges, saying, “The ties that bind our nations are not just forged by heads of state.”

Japan’s first lady, accompanying the prime minister’s state visit to the United States, also participated in events to deepen bilateral friendship, such as tea ceremony with people associated with Japan-U.S. exchanges.