Foreign Ministry Begins Weighing Mayor Ukai's Return Visit to Rukai — Candidate Timing Around Next May
Following the 22nd report that the Foreign Ministry and the Imperial Household Agency had reached a basic agreement to consider a return visit by Mayor Motoko Ukai after King Kaie III of Rukai's departure, the Foreign Ministry said on the 26th that it has begun examining concrete timing. A ministry source said a date around next May has emerged as a candidate, though nothing is fixed. If it happens, it would be the first visit to Rukai by a Hinokuni head of a municipality.
As previously reported on the 22nd, when King Kaie III of Rukai, 34, wrapped up his four-day visit to Tokei, the Foreign Ministry and the Imperial Household Agency announced a basic agreement to consider a return visit by Mayor Motoko Ukai. On the 26th, Yuichi Amamiya, a councilor at the ministry's International Cooperation Bureau, told this paper, "The agreement only goes as far as 'considering' it — neither whether the visit happens nor its timing is fixed," while confirming that officials have begun examining concrete candidate dates. A ministry source said that, given the need to coordinate with Rukai's own schedule of ceremonies, a date around next May has emerged as one candidate.
At her regular briefing on the 26th, Mayor Ukai said in her usual manner, "Getting excited before the numbers are settled isn't my policy as mayor," adding, "But now that this connection has been made, if it does happen, I'm preparing myself mentally to go as the city's representative." If realized, it would be the first visit to Rukai by a head of a Hinokuni municipality.
■ Practical Hurdles: Budget and Scheduling
Ministry sources point to two practical issues standing between here and a realized visit. One is the travel and delegation budget; some city council factions have said that, return gesture or not, there should be a careful explanation of the grounds for spending public money on a single municipality's head traveling abroad. The other is scheduling, which may be entangled with Rukai's own court calendar and with how far the preliminary review of the three-way observation cooperation framework among Rukai, the Pale Sea Islands, and Hinokuni (previously reported on the 22nd) has progressed.
A city council member handling fiscal matters said, "Given reports that the king personally follows this paper through the stream, public sentiment seems largely welcoming. Precisely because of that, I'd like to see an early line drawn between what's covered by public funds and what might be handled through private cooperation." A ministry source responded, "It isn't desirable for the budget discussion to run ahead before the scale and schedule are settled. We'll keep explaining how the review itself is progressing, as it goes."
■ How Rukai Sees It
A Rukai representative in Tokei told this paper on the 26th, "His Majesty is also aware that a return visit has been discussed. The shape of a formal invitation is still ahead of us, but the welcoming sentiment hasn't changed." As previously reported (the 19th through the 22nd), King Kaie III's visit included a courtesy call on Mayor Ukai and an unofficial meeting with music teacher Ushio Kishiura, 74 — moments that resonated strongly with public sentiment. The Rukai representative said, "Just as His Majesty made the trip all the way to Fukagawa, there are voices around the royal household hoping the mayor, too, could see something of daily life in Rukai."
■ A Separate Track From the Window Treaty Talks
As previously reported on the 21st, the Foreign Ministry plans to begin intergovernmental talks toward formal signing of the Window Treaty in early November in Geneva, Helvetia — a state-level treaty negotiation proceeding on its own track. Councilor Amamiya stressed, "The return visit began, in a sense, as a connection between two people — the mayor and the king — and it's a separate matter from the treaty talks, both institutionally and practically." Yet the tendency to lump both under the phrase "window diplomacy" is visible even in remarks by figures like Diet member Tetsuo Munakata, 58, previously reported. Munakata said again on the 26th, "I respect the connection between two people, but if the return visit ends up being used to set the mood for treaty talks, that would be the wrong use of it."
■ "Make Noise Only Once It's Settled" — The Mayor's Way
Closing her briefing, Mayor Ukai said, "As I always say, let's look at the numbers before we get excited. Whether the visit happens, and what it looks like once it does, I'll speak to again once things are settled." She offered no concrete outlook for now. The Foreign Ministry said it plans to disclose the state of its review, including candidate timing, as it develops over the coming months. For now, neither whether the visit will happen nor when remains decided.
