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Emperor Naruhito's visit, the selfie and the future of sultan's daughter
The biggest concern of Japanese government officials during the emperor's visit to Indonesia is, "What should we do if someone tries to take a commemorative photo with the emperor and empress by taking a selfie?"
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Emperor Naruhito (left) waves to journalists from inside a train at Lebak Bulus MRT Station in South Jakarta on June 18, 2023. The emperor is on a week-long visit to Indonesia, his first since his coronation in 2019. (Courtesy/of PT MRT Jakarta)
Kornelius Purba
There are at least two things that attract my curiosity from the week-long goodwill visit of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who arrived on Saturday. First is their meeting and luncheon with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and First Lady Iriana, and second is their encounter with Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X in Yogyakarta.
My concerns have nothing to do with security matters or the substance of the Emperor's conversations with the President and the Yogyakarta Sultan, but the selfie culture, which is taboo within the Japanese royal family but is common practice among many Indonesians, including President Jokowi.
The other interesting issue is the similarity between the Emperor and the Yogyakarta Sultan, who both do not have a son. The emperor has one daughter, while the Yogyakarta ruler has five.
On Sunday, the Emperor visited the terminus of Japan's financed and constructed Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta. The MRT is the symbol of not only Japan’s superiority in technology but also its culture of comfort, punctuality and discipline.
Since the MRT began to be fully operational, Indonesian passengers have become used to queuing and maintaining cleanliness in commuter trains. In the next few years, Japan will finish constructing the north-south MRT line that will connect the Kota (old town) area in North Jakarta with Lebak Bulus.
On Monday, President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana will host a luncheon with the Japanese royal couple at Bogor Palace. According to Antara, later in the evening the Emperor will meet with prominent Indonesian figures who have built a strong connection to Japan.
