The king and queen of Bhutan were in Japan from Nov. 15 to 20, and they made quite an impression on the Japanese people. Among the heads of state and their wives who have visited Japan in recent years, they probably have left the most amiable impression. Their traditional Bhutanese clothes, looking somewhat like a Japanese kimono, helped to nurture a feeling that they are close to the Japanese.
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, 31, and Qeen Jetsun Pema, 21, were married in October. Japan and Bhutan established diplomatic ties 25 years ago and Bhutan is known as a country friendly to Japan. It is a great honor that the royal couple visited Japan on their honeymoon.
Their visit turned out to be an occasion for them to encourage survivors of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and all Japanese for that matter, and to pray for the disaster victims.