Imperial Family

Imperial Couple Attend Welcome Ceremony, Meet Ex-Yokozuna in Ulaanbaatar

Ichiro Ohara/The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Emperor and Empress attend a welcome ceremony in Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday.

By Takaya Toda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

20:00 JST, July 8, 2025

ULAANBAATAR — The Emperor and Empress attended a welcome ceremony in central Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday morning, as part of their visit to Mongolia as state guests.

The Imperial couple arrived at around 10 a.m. at Sukhbaatar Square, where members of an armored cavalry unit were lined up. The Emperor walked with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and was saluted by an honor guard to the sound of 21 guns being fired.

The Imperial couple exchanged greetings with members of the Mongolian Cabinet and others, including two former yokozuna — Sho Hakuho and Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj.

Alongside the president and his wife, the Emperor and Empress then walked up the stairs of the Government Palace beside the square to smile and wave to the crowd. Some people held a banner that said in Japanese, “Thank you, Japan.”

A portrait of the Imperial couple was displayed on a building near the Government Palace, creating a welcoming atmosphere in the area.