Tokyo: Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako hosted Brazilian President Lula da Silva in Tokyo as part of the South American leader's four-day state visit to Japan.

According to Anadolu Agency, Lula was welcomed by Naruhito with an official ceremony at the Imperial Palace, with visuals shared on official social media channels from the Japanese capital. US President Donald Trump was the last state guest hosted by Japan in 2019.

The meeting with the emperor precedes Lula's official bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba scheduled for Wednesday. Lula is expected to fly to Vietnam after concluding his visit to Japan on Thursday.

This year marks the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and Brazil. In 2008, Naruhito, then a crown prince, visited Brazil, which is home to one of the world's largest Japanese diaspora communities.

Lula's government made an official apology to Tokyo last year, acknowledging the persecution of Japanese immigrants during World War II. During the war, Brazil forced Japanese immigrants from their homes in the southern city of Santos and mistreated those imprisoned on Anchieta Island. The apology was a reversal from former President Jair Bolsonaro's administration, which rejected calls for such an acknowledgment in 2022.

Brazil was a significant destination for Japanese immigrants in the early 20th century. In 1943, nearly 6,500 Japanese were forced to leave their homes as Brazil joined the Allies and severed diplomatic ties with Japan. Most of those affected were from Japan's Okinawa province.