His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan received at his residence the President of the National Assembly Tsetska Tsacheva. Today is the second day of the official visit of the Bulgarian parliamentary delegation to Japan.

The audience with His Imperial Highness took place in the Akasaka Palace. The traditionally good relations between Bulgaria and Japan and the mutual interest in their deepening and expansion were a central topic of the talks. Warmest wishes were conveyed to the Bulgarian people. The idea of the Bulgarian parliamentarians to visit one of the regions in Japan most affected by the tidal waves in 2011 received an extremely high appreciation. The President of the National Assembly Tsetska Tsacheva expressed admiration for the effective actions of the Japanese government aimed at fast recovery from the heavy consequences of the natural disaster and underscored the high moral, resilience, spirit of unity and solidarity as well as work-lovingness of the people of Japan.   
   
The President of the National Assembly presented to Prince Naruhito an exquisitely moulded set of document transcripts marking important moments of the history of Bulgarian-Japanese relations. The precious documents dating from the first half of the previous century, kept at the State Archives Agency, bear a deeply symbolic meaning and certify for the long-lasting traditions in the friendly relationship between the two countries regardless of their geographic remoteness and differing historic fortunes.

Among the documents of high historic value are for example the first intergovernmental agreement for mutual granting a status of most favored nation in trade and marine navigation form 1927 and the first agreement for cultural cooperation from 1943. Decrees for the appointment of Japanese citizens as honorary consuls of Bulgaria in Tokyo and Osaka in 1943 certify for the close contacts and active people-to-people exchanges that have existed in the course of many decades. The gift to the Crown Prince also includes letters of correspondence proving the close relations between the Imperial Family and Bulgaria, for example a handwritten letter by the late Emperor Hirohito informing Tsar Boris the Third of the birth of his first-born son Akihito, the present Emperor of Japan, as well as documents from 1909 on the visits to Bulgaria by Prince Kuni and from 1931 on the visit of Prince and Princess Takamatsu.