While the Smith Center added a Japanese flag to its collection months ago, hundreds of flags have been popping up along the streets surrounding the White House in preparation for the official visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, which began Tuesday.
Men’s basketball freshman Yuta Watanabe was invited to the official arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn Tuesday morning, along with teammate Kevin Larsen, head coach Mike Lonergan and athletic director Patrick Nero. Watanabe also attended a lunch at the State Department Tuesday afternoon.
“It was a special experience,” Watanabe said. “Not every person can go inside so that was good for me.”
At the welcoming ceremony, President Barack Obama thanked the visiting prime minister for all that Japan has given the American people, emojis and karaoke included, and said he was excited to discuss the strengthening of the relationship between the two countries.
“This visit is a celebration of the tides of friendship and family that bind our peoples,” Obama said.
Abe also delivered a speech, and Watanabe, who is from Kagawa, Japan and is the fourth-ever Japanese native to play Division I basketball, looked on with the throng of spectators gathered on the sunny morning.
Watanabe and Larsen took a moment following the ceremony to snap some selfies, including one where Larsen tried to plant a kiss on Watanabe’s cheek.
“He didn’t, but he tried,” Watanabe said.
Watanabe said the lunch, which was hosted by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, was the highlight of his day. He said he enjoyed his meal of fish and salad and got the chance to talk to other Japanese citizens.
Lonergan said that his favorite part of the day was getting to spend the beautiful morning outside, and to see Watanabe and Larsen excited along with the other spectators. After the ceremony, he chuckled that the team will have to win an NCAA Tournament so that they can go back to the White House.
“To see people from Japan and to see how excited they were in line to see their prime minister on American soil,” Lonergan said, “To see the joy in everyone’s faces, especially with what’s going on in Baltimore now, I think this is a great country but it’s good to see some happy faces instead of seeing some bad things on the news.”