Profanity-prone Duterte vows to ‘to limit my mouth’ when he meets Japan’s emperor
Philippine president to have an audience with the 83-year-old Akihito – a popular and respected figure in Japan – during his two-day visit to Tokyo
Duterte said he would have an audience with the 83-year-old Akihito – a popular and respected figure in Japan – during his two-day visit to Tokyo. A scheduled meeting last year was cancelled following a death in the imperial family.
That meeting had put Japanese officials on faux pas alert after a video of Duterte with President Xi Jinping in China showed him apparently chewing gum – considered rude in Japan on such an occasion.
“I suppose that I have to limit my mouth there except maybe to bring the warm greetings of the Filipino nation, a grateful nation to Japan,” Duterte told reporters before departing for Tokyo on Sunday night.
“It’s a kind of a homage to see the emperor before he abdicates,” Duterte added, referring to Akihito’s plan to retire after nearly three decades on the throne.