Emperor and Empress are visiting U.K. and attended the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on June 25th.
Footage shows the Banquet and the speech by the Emperor and King Charles III.
 
Here is the full transcript of the Address by the Emperor at the Buckingham Palace;

ADRESS BY  HIS MAJESTY , EMPEROR NARUHITO AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE 

Your Majesties,

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the invitation you have extended to the Empress and me for this State Visit, as well as for the tremendous consideration and efforts that you and the people of the United Kingdom have shown in making it a reality. In fact, the original invitation was issued five years ago by her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whom I greatly admired. Unfortunately, however, the visit had to be postponed due to the impact of COVID-19. It is truly our utmost pleasure that it is finally taking place now.

We also very much appreciate Your Majesties' kindness this afternoon in showing us items from the Royal Collection related to Japan. We now have an even stronger sense of the deep significance of the exchange between Japan and the United Kingdom forged over so many years. I am personally pleased and also grateful to have played a part in the exchange between the two countries, having studied in the United Kingdom, during which time I interacted with many people and in particular was privileged to enjoy the very warm company of members of the Royal Family. There was previously the sad period during which the friendly relationship between our two countries suffered,and hence I am struck by profound feelings as I extend my thoughts to what was in the minds of my grandfather the Emperor Showa and subsequently my father the Emperor Emeritus as they set foot in this country after times of great difficulty, as emperors of Japan at the invitation of Her late Majesty.

The Empress and I would like to express our deep respect and gratitude to those people who have dedicated immeasurable efforts to the friendship between our two countries extending firmly into the future.

At the State Banquet in 1971, my grandfather voiced his heartfelt wish for the people of both Japan and the United Kingdom in various walks of life to interact ever more closely and frequently and to talk to each other with open hearts. It was also my father's sincere hope that our two peoples would continue to strive for true mutual understanding and to join hands in the cause of world peace and prosperity, as was expressed on the occasion of the subsequent State Banquet in 1998.

Today, our society is increasingly diverse and complex, facing various global challenges. It is necessary to address these critical issues by further amassing wisdom from around the world. Against this backdrop, I am extremely pleased that, in line with the fruitful dialogue between the peoples of our two countries conducted over the years with an open heart and with a quest for true mutual understanding, we have seen, and will continue to see, a myriad of areas whereby Japan and the UK lead the world in collaboration and cooperation.

One such area is the contribution that Japanese and British scientists have made to the world through cutting-edge medical research. Knowledge of iPS cells came to the fore through the research of Dr Shinya Yamanaka for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. This was based on the preceding research by Sir John Bertrand Gurdon, who was the joint winner of the Nobel Prize, and has led to significant innovations in regenerative medicine. At the Francis Crick Institute, which I will be visiting tomorrow, many people including young researchers from our two countries are working together and taking on momentous new challenges in the areas of cancer research and countering influenza.Meanwhile, I made a personal visit yesterday to the Thames Barrier, built in the aftermath of the 1953 North Sea Flood. The development of the capacity to predict storm surges in the UK owes a great deal to the role played by a Japanese scientist, Dr Shizuo Ishiguro, the father of Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, the British novelist of Japanese extraction and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Dr Ishiguro was invited to join a UK research institute, where he developed a practical model for the accurate and timely quantitative prediction of storm surges in the North Sea. According to Sir Kazuo,the analog computing system that Dr Ishiguro developed based on his research looked like a TARDIS,a time machine from the BBC drama Doctor Who.I believe that the unique interdisciplinary innovation by Dr Ishiguro, cutting across electronic engineering and oceanographic science,continues to be a major source of inspiration for both Japanese and British researchers today,transcending time and space.

During this visit, I look forward to visiting for the first time in 23 years the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, of which your Majesty is a patron. There, I hope to see the efforts made by the Millenium Seed Bank in preserving seeds to avoid their extinction. May I pay my respect concerning the initiatives Your Majesty has taken, with both passion and a sense of urgency, in such critical areas as climate change and biodiversity. I am also encouraged that many people in both our countries are taking a keen interest in such environmental issues and are dedicating themselves to the resolution of these challenges. I have been told that seeds of Japanese red pine and other plants have been donated to the Millenium Seed Bank by Iwate Prefecture. They include those from the same type of tree as the "miracle pine tree", which was the only one to survive the tsunami damage in the Takatamatsubara pine grove from the Great East Japan Earthquake, during which tens of thousands of pine trees were uprooted. I believe that the seeds will be preserved long into the future as symbols of resilience,recovery from the earthquake, and friendship between Japan and the UK.

I look forward to visiting again the Royal College of Music, where I can see its state-of-the-art Performance Laboratory, as well as to visiting with the Empress Young V&A, where we will have a chance to interact with children from both our countries and gain a direct sense of how our culture and art are inspiring children, transcending borders and time. We also plan to visit Oxford, where the Empress and I both experienced the life and culture of this country as students, and hope to make our humble contribution to promoting bilateral cooperation in the areas of academia, research and education, as well as exchanges between our younger generations. The relationship between Japan and the UK has been fostered through people-to-people exchanges over the years and generations. It would be a source of immense satisfaction if our visit to the United Kingdom could help to firmly pass on the friendship and goodwill between our two countries to the young people and children who in the future will take on the reins of our relationship and develop it even further.

Today, the multi-layered collaboration and exchange between our two countries is accelerating in various areas including politics and diplomacy, the economy, culture and the arts, science and technology as well as education. Our bilateral relations have never been more robust. We can say that we are fortunate to have been given the opportunity to climb even higher on this grand, broad-based mountain, guided by the path trodden by our forebears, with a feeling of gratitude, respect and pride in our hearts. It is my sincere hope that both Japan and the UK, as friends like no other, will continue to make untiring efforts for true mutual understanding through exchanges of their people, thereby building an enduring relationship based on friendship, goodwill and cooperation.

I would now like to propose a toast to the good health of Your Majesties, to the further development of our bilateral relationship and its contribution to the world, and to the lasting happiness of the people of Japan and the United Kingdom.


Here is the Full transcript of the King's Speech ;

SPEECH BY HIS MAJESTY THE KING STATE BANQUET IN HONOUR OF EMPEROR NARUHITO

Your Majesties,

My wife and I are so delighted to be able to welcome you to Buckingham Palace this evening.  EI-KOKU NI O-KAERI NASAI. [Welcome back to Britain].

Your Majesties, ours is a partnership with deep roots.  For over four hundred years, our nations have inspired each other, learning from each other’s experience and enriching our industries, cuisines and cultures with elements borrowed and shared.  Even our hobbies have shared roots; for it was English climbers like Walter Weston in the late nineteenth century, enraptured by the Japanese landscapes they encountered, who helped to introduce recreational mountain climbing in Japan.  This is a passion which so many British and Japanese now have in common - not least, at an individual level, Your Majesty and myself! 

At the core of our partnership is a close friendship; one based on a mutual understanding of the importance of international rules and global institutions, forged from the lessons of history, including its darkest years.  Today, as we face a world in which these principles are ever more challenged, our shared values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law are more important than ever.

Our partnership is also one that continues to grow and flourish, to put out new shoots and branches.  We share a bond which sets us apart from so many others, being both island nations whose advancement has relied particularly on our ability to adapt and to create new solutions for society through the power of collaboration and innovation.  Indeed, I believe that our people also share an understanding of how tradition and innovation can work together to strengthen each other and the future we work towards. 

I saw something of this on my first visit to Japan in 1970 when I toured the first Japanese World Expo in Osaka.  As a twenty-one-year-old, the innovations I saw left me with a lasting impression of the power of blending the traditions of Eastern and Western civilisations, together with progress in science and technology for the benefit of all.

My four further visits to Japan since then, and my engagements with your people and companies over the years, lead me to believe that the impressive links forged between our economies and our businesses have built on those same ideals.  Over the last fifty years, Japanese investors have made an enormous contribution to the economy of the United Kingdom.  Our country has provided a home where I am proud to say these businesses have thrived, while growing numbers of British businesses have been welcomed into Japan. 

Our talented scientists are also working together on research and technology to help address some of the most pressing challenges that face our planet.  The seriousness and urgency of the climate and Nature crises we face cannot be overstated; our generation owes it to those who follow to face it with vigour, determination and creativity.   Against the history of deep traditional respect for Nature in both of our cultures, the private sector has a key role to play.  This is why I am so pleased that both British and Japanese companies are at the forefront of creating practical, bankable initiatives, and British and Japanese researchers, who are working on understanding and protecting the Earth, continue to be honoured through the Blue Planet Prize and the Japan Prize.

In addition, I know that our two countries are collaborating ever more closely to provide for our shared security.  Our Armed Forces are exercising and sharing expertise at great levels, as befits two powers with an enduring commitment to global peace and security.  From energy and the environment, to supply chains and semi-conductors; from cyber security and sustainable food supplies to defence industrial collaboration, our governments are working together to provide a stable world for future generations. 

Supporting all these shared endeavours are the enduring ties between our people that transcend geography – and that does not just mean how much we enjoy tea, and talking about the weather! 

Your Majesties, I had the enormous privilege of addressing the Diet nearly forty years ago.  During that address, I expressed my deep hope that our countries would exchange more of our cultures and, by doing so, enrich our creativity.  I cannot tell you how encouraged I have been to see the remarkable array of cultural exchange and coproduction between our countries grow ever stronger.  Just today, one hundred and thirty members of the Royal Opera House were on stage in Japan at the Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, led by Sir Antonio Pappano.  And as Studio Ghibli’s animé continue to delight audiences worldwide, with Hayao Miyazaki’s wonderful ‘The Boy and the Heron’ scooping an Oscar earlier this year, the house is full at the London Coliseum this evening for a stage production of ‘Spirited Away’.

Equally, it has been a pleasure to learn of the British stories behind certain Japanese cultural icons.  Perhaps you would allow me to note one particular individual who turns fifty this year, raised in a London suburb with her twin sister, a self-made entrepreneur worth billions of dollars, and a U.N.I.C.E.F. Children’s Ambassador on top of all that.  So I can only wish a very happy birthday to… Hello Kitty!

Ever greater numbers of our young people are living, working and studying in world-class institutions in each other’s countries.  We are honoured that so many members of the Imperial Family, including Your Majesties, have chosen to study at British universities.  I know from Your Majesty's fascinating record of your experiences at Oxford – as well as my memories of our time spent together at the opera and fly fishing – that these opportunities to spend time abroad create lifelong friendships and memories.   I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing – the Pokémon phrase “gotta catch ‘em all” may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, aspirational..!

Your Majesties, in 1613, Tokugawa Ieyasu wrote to my forebear, King James I: “Though separated by ten thousand leagues of clouds and waves, our territories are as it were close to each other”.  Over four hundred years later, that sentiment remains at the heart of our friendship.

And so, it is with a sense of great affection and optimism that I propose a toast to Your Majesties and the Japanese people, and to the next four hundred years of Japanese-British relations.  KAN-PAI! [Cheers!]