Rukai's Advance Delegation Arrives in Tokei Ahead of King Kaie III's Visit on the 19th
Ahead of the state visit (Oct. 19–22, previously reported) of King Kaie III, 34, of Rukai, an advance delegation from the kingdom's royal household arrived in Tokei via the Haneda Air Route on the morning of the 18th. Led by Lord Chamberlain Tui Makalea, 52, and made up of four people including three aides, the delegation held final coordination meetings on the schedule and security, running from the 19th's arrival and courtesy call on the mayor through departure on the 22nd, with officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Imperial Household Agency, the Tokei Sword Bearers' Association, and the Patrol Guild.
As previously reported on the 16th, King Kaie III of Rukai is scheduled to arrive via the Haneda Air Route on the afternoon of the 19th, but a four-person advance delegation arrived via the same route a day earlier, on the morning of the 18th. The delegation is led by Lord Chamberlain Tui Makalea, 52, who belongs to the fin-like-eared lineage common among Rukai's Drifter descendants and has long handled the royal household's ceremonies and overseas travel. Foreign Ministry protocol officers met the delegation at the arrivals lobby and handed over a minute-by-minute schedule for the four-day visit on the spot.
On the 18th, the delegation held a joint session with Foreign Ministry and Imperial Household Agency officials to confirm, minute by minute, the previously reported schedule — the arrival press conference and courtesy call on Mayor Motoko Ukai on the 19th; the signing ceremony for the expanded appraisal cooperation pact and the tour of the Third Appraisal Center on the 20th; the visit to Window 1, "the Lit City," on the 21st; and departure on the 22nd — down to entry and exit routes for each venue, the number of accompanying staff, and where photography would be permitted. Officials from the Tokei Sword Bearers' Association and the Patrol Guild, which share security duties, also attended, finalizing the arrangement in which sword bearers would guard the ceremonies while patrol officers handle surrounding and nighttime patrols, as previously reported.
Speaking to this paper, Makalea described the king's character: "His Majesty has read Tokei Shimpo ever since he began streaming. Whenever an article about the Lit City runs, he's always the first in the room to bring it up." As previously reported on the 16th, Kaie III is known as the "streaming king" who often quotes his great-grandmother in speeches, and word has informally reached the Foreign Ministry that he is looking forward to seeing the Lit City with his own eyes. "He has decided to refrain from streaming anything outside the official schedule this time," Makalea added with a laugh, "but what he'll say about it once he's home — even I can't predict that."
As previously reported on the 16th, resident representatives of Hekikai Isles, Rukai's neighbor, have been invited to the reception on the 20th. A Hekikai representative joined the 18th's coordination session as well, exchanging views with Makalea's side on seating order and the sequence of greetings. A Foreign Ministry source again drew a line, saying "Hekikai's invitation is purely a courtesy for the ceremony and does not signal any promise to expand cooperation," while adding, "given the relationship between Rukai and Hekikai, being in the same room isn't without meaning" — a remark that hinted the ministry is also watching how Hekikai's previously reported request for cooperation, filed on the 13th, plays out.
As previously reported on the 12th, technicians Hajime Umezu, 42, and Kasumi Hiwada, 35, who will carry out November's advance appraisal-staff exchange with Rukai, are also expected to attend the 20th's signing ceremony, alongside appraisal center liaison Seiichi Minowa. "I'm looking forward to meeting, ahead of time, the people we'll be receiving in November," Makalea said.
The delegation checked into a hotel in central Tokei on the evening of the 18th, ahead of Kaie III's arrival on the 19th. At her regular press briefing, Mayor Ukai said, "I'm usually one to say 'let's look at the numbers before we make a fuss,' but this time, before any numbers, I'm thinking first about making sure we receive him without a single misstep," referring to preparations for the courtesy call. The four-day state visit will be the city's first real test of whether its relationship with Rukai is about to enter a new phase.
