Friday, In Tokoyo, First Lady Jill Biden meets with the Japanese Prime Minister’s wife Mariko, later attending a reception with Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace.
The 70-year old first lady wore her mask and followed the strict distance protocol. The restrictions were embraced, although she had been double-vaccinated against the coronavirus last year.
Suga had prepared a special incense workshop at the Akasaka Palace; Jill would smell different fragrances and assemble a scented satchel.
First Lady Biden leads the official U.S. diplomatic delegation to the Olympics in Tokyo; President Biden is left at home alone, Breitbart News reported.
People reports she will virtually meet with basketball player Sue Bird, baseball player Eddy Alvarez, and the opening ceremony flag-bearers for Team USA. (“Thank you so much, I love seeing you — you must be so excited!” she said with a giggle.)
During the virtual meeting, she told the athletes: “I want to thank each person who helped you be here today. Now those years of work, the drive and faith that have kept you going have led you here. Congratulations.”
“Thank you for your help,” she told her staff and embassy staff, who put the Zoom call together.
“Am I allowed to shake hands?” she asked the staff while on her Zoom call, giving out elbow bumps instead. “Just pretend these are hugs,” she said.
On Saturday, Biden is to dedicate a room in the residence of the U.S. Chief of Mission in Tokyo to the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and his late wife, Irene Hirano Inouye.
A U.S.-vs.-Mexico softball watch party will be hosted by Jill at the U.S. Embassy for staff and their families; U.S. athletes competing in several events will be cheered on before leaving Tokyo.
On Wednesday, coronavirus infections in Toyoko surged to a six-month high with 1,832 new cases just two before the games’ opening.
Tokyo is now under its fourth state of emergency that spans the duration of the Olympic Games. Fans are banned from the venues in the Tokyo area, and a few remote sites will have limited audiences.
Before returning to Washington, DC, the first lady will fly to Honolulu, after Japan.