Princess Takamado was in Saransk to see Japan beat Colombia 2-1
People do not often acknowledge the role of soccer in international relations and diplomacy. It is not impossible that this may now change after Japan’s Princess Takamado became the first member of the country’s royal family to visit Russia for more than a century. She had flown in to watch her national side play in the World Cup.
Relations between Moscow and Tokyo became strained due to a dispute over a chain of Pacific Ocean islands that were seized by Soviet forces at the end of the Second World War. The territorial dispute actually prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to mark the end of the war.
The princess is an honorary patron of the Japanese football association.
The Japanese embassy in Moscow confirmed that the 64-year-old princess was in Saransk, in central Russia, for yesterday’s match against Colombia, which Japan won.
According to Japanese media, the princess had no plans to meet any Russian dignitaries, although Russian state media reported that officials in Saransk had organised a cultural programme for her.
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