President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tokyo on Friday July 23 morning, where he is due to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in the evening, after meetings with the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Emperor of Japan.
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As president of the host country of the next Paris-2024 edition, Emmanuel Macron was first to meet in the morning with IOC President Thomas Bach in a hotel in the Japanese capital, then with representatives of the sports delegation French during a lunch at Club France.
He then met at the Imperial Palace with Emperor Naruhito of Japan, in the presence of other foreign dignitaries including the First Lady of the United States Jill Biden, before meeting with representatives of the Japanese cultural world.
Reduced entourage
The opening ceremony at the new Olympic stadium in Tokyo is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. local time, 11 a.m. GMT, attended by just under a thousand guests.
Because the Olympics will take place almost everywhere behind closed doors, due to the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Japan.
The entourage of the French Head of State has thus been reduced to a minimum, with the presence of a single minister at his side, Jean-Michel Blanquer (Minister of National Education, Youth and Sports).
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On Saturday, Emmanuel Macron is due to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, two years after his first official visit to Japan, and plans to meet in the wake of Japanese business leaders to promote the economic attractiveness of France. He must also attend the same day Olympic judo and 3X3 basketball, according to his official program, before leaving for Polynesia.