A Historic Visit to the Land of the Steppe: Opening a New Chapter of Friendship

On July 6, 2025, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress will begin an official visit to Mongolia. This eight-day trip is far more than a ceremonial diplomatic call; it is a historic event rich in symbolism, signaling to Japan, Mongolia, and the world a future-oriented special partnership that rises above the complexities of the past. The visit comes in response to repeated invitations from President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh and the First Lady. During his 2022 state visit to Japan marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, President Khürelsükh again conveyed his wish to host Their Majesties—evidence of how highly Mongolia values this occasion.

The historic weight of this visit lies in the fact that it will be the first official trip to Mongolia by a reigning Emperor and Empress together. His Majesty visited Mongolia in 2007 as Crown Prince, but a visit in his capacity as the symbol of the State carries a different significance: it attests to the maturity of bilateral friendship and the ability to engage at the highest level.

The detailed itinerary announced by the Imperial Household Agency suggests a carefully composed diplomatic narrative that illuminates many facets of the relationship, rather than a mere sequence of courtesy calls. The program highlights symbolic places and events linking the past, present, and future of both nations. Among the visit’s highlights is attendance at the opening ceremony of Naadam, Mongolia’s largest national festival. Together with President Khürelsükh and the First Lady, Their Majesties will watch traditional competitions—Mongolian wrestling, archery, and horse racing—demonstrating deep respect for Mongolia’s culture and history.

Their Majesties’ attention also turns to the next generation who will shape the two countries’ future. They will visit the Mongolia–KOSEN Technology College, the first overseas adoption of Japan’s college of technology model; Ulaanbaatar City School No.149, established with Japanese support; and the Shine Mongol School, which incorporates Japanese educational methods. Direct engagement with students at these institutions underscores human-resource development as a key pillar of cooperation and the importance of investing in the future. A visit to the Mongolia–Japan Hospital, established with Japan’s ODA, will likewise highlight deepening collaboration in healthcare.

Beyond culture and future-minded initiatives, the itinerary also reflects care for Mongolia’s majestic natural environment. Their Majesties will visit Hustai National Park, home to the wild horse known as the takhi (Przewalski’s horse), providing an opportunity to affirm shared concern for global environmental conservation. Official events in Ulaanbaatar—including a welcome ceremony, talks in a reception room modeled on a traditional ger, and a state banquet hosted by the President—will reaffirm the closeness of state-to-state ties. In sum, each element of the schedule spans culture, education, medicine, the environment, and formal diplomacy—the core strands of Japan–Mongolia relations—so that the itinerary itself serves as a microcosm of a multilayered, resilient friendship built over more than half a century.

Memory and Repose: Prayers for Japanese Laid to Rest in Mongolia

At the spiritual heart of Their Majesties’ visit is a solemn engagement with history—specifically, remembrance of Japanese internees after World War II. The journey is not only a celebration of present friendship; it is a deliberate expression of will to transcend painful chapters and build a future grounded in true reconciliation. The program includes an offering of flowers at the “Monument to Deceased Japanese” in Ulaanbaatar—the first such act of remembrance by a reigning Emperor.

Japan–Mongolia relations did not begin with the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1972; their history reaches back to the 13th-century Mongol invasions of Japan. While those episodes long formed the backdrop to bilateral memory, His Majesty noted before departure that history also includes peaceful exchanges—travel by Zen monks and trade—demonstrating a nuanced, multi-faceted view of the past. The 20th century brought renewed tensions with the 1939 Nomonhan Incident (known in Mongolia as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol).

The most tragic chapter of the postwar period concerns Japanese internees. After World War II, about 14,000 former Japanese soldiers captured by the Soviet Union were transferred to Mongolia and forced into harsh labor; roughly 2,000 died there, never to set foot again in their homeland. This is a memory that must not be forgotten in the history of bilateral ties.

There is, however, another side to this history. Amid hardship, the internees made significant contributions to the urban foundations of present-day Ulaanbaatar. As His Majesty observed, buildings such as the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, constructed through their labor, still stand as dignified symbols of the capital. Mongolians speak of these contributions with respect, and the memory of the internees carries a dual character—of suffering, and of a legacy of contribution born from adversity.

In this context, His Majesty’s act of remembrance is distinct from political apology; it is the cultural and spiritual practice of irei—consoling the spirits of those who died far from home and reflecting deeply on their hardship. It confronts the “suffering” while quietly acknowledging the “contribution,” accepting the full, complex picture and elevating it into a shared memory. By avoiding the politics of historical contention and instead building the foundations of reconciliation through human empathy and respect, this profoundly Japanese approach seeks to overcome a painful past and anchor a future-oriented relationship.

Bonds with a “Third Neighbor”: From Democracy Support to Strategic Partnership

Their Majesties’ visit also highlights the contemporary geopolitical importance of the relationship. Landlocked between Russia and China, Mongolia anchors its national strategy in the “Third Neighbor” policy, with Japan as a uniquely vital pillar—economically, politically, and in shared values.

Formal ties began with the establishment of diplomatic relations on February 24, 1972, but the road was not smooth. Normalization talks stalled for nearly a decade over reparations sought by Mongolia related to the Nomonhan Incident. The issue was ultimately settled under a 1977 economic cooperation agreement through a ¥5-billion grant from Japan. A state-owned cashmere factory built with these funds laid the groundwork for a key modern industry—an early, tangible example of Japan’s direct contribution to Mongolia’s nation-building.

A dramatic deepening came in 1990 when Mongolia peacefully abandoned socialism and embarked on democratization and market reforms. Japan moved early and decisively: in 1991, Tokyo co-hosted the first donors’ meeting for Mongolia with the World Bank, and since then has consistently served as the largest aid partner—support decisive during Mongolia’s most difficult transition years.

Japan’s ODA has reached every corner of Mongolian society, visibly contributing to national development. Funded by yen loans, the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport (Chinggis Khaan International Airport), opened in 2021, now serves as Mongolia’s gateway to the skies. Japan’s support also extends from infrastructure—like Ulaanbaatar’s key Naran (“Sun”) Bridge—to healthcare at the Mongolia–Japan Hospital and human-resource development at the Mongolia–Japan Center for Human Resources Development.

This long accumulation of cooperation elevated ties to a “strategic partnership,” crowned in 2016 by Mongolia’s first-ever Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan. The trajectory embodies an ideal of Japan’s postwar diplomacy: building stable friendships and strategic partnerships not through military power but through economic cooperation and shared universal values—democracy, market economy, and the rule of law. Supporting Mongolia’s democratization and contributing to its stability and development is not only a bilateral success but a strategic investment in Northeast Asia’s stability. Their Majesties’ visit symbolically celebrates, at the highest level, the fruition of more than three decades of such diplomatic investment and the special trust it has created.

People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges for the Future: Sumo, Education, and Deep Empathy

What makes the Japan–Mongolia “strategic partnership” so resilient beyond political and economic interests is the warmth and depth of human exchange and mutual empathy. If intergovernmental ties form a sturdy skeleton, people-to-people and cultural exchanges are the muscles and nerves that give it life. It is no coincidence that Their Majesties’ schedule devotes time not only to official events but to interactions with citizens and youth—an acknowledgment of the centrality of human bonds.

Sumo, Japan’s national sport, is the emblem of this bond. Mongolian yokozuna—Asashōryū, Hakuhō, Harumafuji, and Kakuryū—rose in succession to dominate the dohyo, bringing Mongolia into Japanese homes and hearts. Their achievements engendered affection and respect for Mongolian people and dramatically narrowed the psychological distance between the two nations.

Education provides another strong bridge to the future. The number of Mongolian students aspiring to study in Japan has more than quadrupled over the past two decades, while interest in Japanese language learning within Mongolia remains high. These exchanges cultivate a growing cohort of Mongolians who know and appreciate Japan, laying a durable foundation for future relations. In business, too, trust in Japanese products and models is evident—from the success of Mobicom, the largest mobile carrier whose major shareholders include KDDI and Sumitomo Corporation, to the presence of major trading houses, banks, and manufacturers.

Perhaps the most eloquent testament to the depth of these ties came after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. The day after the disaster, the Mongolian government swiftly approved a US$1 million donation; public officials contributed a day’s pay, and support spread nationwide. Moreover, Mongolia—though a developing country—dispatched, for the first time in its history, an international emergency relief team to a leading world economy. This moved the Japanese public deeply and showed that years of Japanese assistance had nurtured not one-way “aid” but genuine friendship and solidarity.

This “repayment of kindness” demonstrated that the relationship had transcended the typical donor–recipient dynamic to become a true partnership of mutual support in times of need. Surveys consistently show exceptionally favorable views of Japan among Mongolians—proof that goodwill fostered through ODA has taken deep root and matured into real solidarity. It is this rare and precious friendship that makes Japan–Mongolia ties special at their core. Their Majesties’ visit will stand as a national celebration of this trust that reaches beyond politics and economics, and as a strong message that the bond will be woven still further into the future.