Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko gave U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden the perfect gift.
More cherry blossoms! How many? 250 of them.
These trees will replace the 100 that have to be removed as part of a restoration project now taking place around the famous Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. Sea walls that were built in the 1800s have sunk and need to be replaced to protect the Jefferson Memorial from storm surges.
As we know, Washington D.C.’s iconic cherry trees were a gift from Japan in 1912.
The gift, says Prime Minister Kishida, honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which the United States will celebrate in 2026,
As the Times reported, President Biden thanked Mr. Kishida for the cherry trees, which have become a symbol of the relationship between the United States and its longtime ally as well as a popular tourist attraction in spring. The mayor of Tokyo gave Washington 3,000 trees, which are not native to the United States, in 1912.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s visit also is perfect timing. Since that iconic gift, the nation’s capital celebrates the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which has been held since 1935 to commemorate the original gift.
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