ISTANBUL

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako hosted Brazilian President Lula da Silva in Tokyo on Tuesday as part of the South American leader's four-day state visit to Japan.

Lula was welcomed by Naruhito with an official ceremony at the Imperial Palace, according to visuals shared on official social media channels from the Japanese capital.

US President Donald Trump was the last state guest hosted by Japan in 2019.

The meeting with the emperor comes ahead of Lula’s official bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday.

Lula is scheduled to fly to Vietnam on Thursday.

This year marks the 130th anniversary of Japan-Brazil diplomatic ties.

In 2008, then-crown prince, Naruhito visited Brazil, which hosts one of the world’s largest Japanese diaspora populations.

Lula’s government last year issued an official apology to Tokyo for the first time since Brazil persecuted Japanese immigrants during World War II.

During the war, Brazil forced Japanese immigrants out of their homes in the southern coastal city of Santos. The country also mistreated people imprisoned on Anchieta Island.

In 2022, the call for such an apology was rejected by former President Jair Bolsonaro's right-wing government.

Brazil was a major destination for Japanese immigrants in the early 20th century, and in 1943, nearly 6,500 Japanese were forced to leave their homes and relocate to camps or inland areas.

The South American nation’s move to relocate Japanese immigrants came after it joined the Allies during World War II and severed diplomatic ties with Tokyo.

Most of those persecuted are said to have been from Japan's southern island province of Okinawa.