Visiting French President Emmanuel Macron met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako on Thursday before going to Osaka to attend the Group of 20 summit starting the next day.
Macron is the second foreign leader after U.S. President Donald Trump to meet the new emperor, who ascended the throne on May 1 as his father, former Emperor Akihito, abdicated at the end of April, the first Japanese monarch to do so in more than 200 years.
During the meeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, the emperor thanked Macron for sending him a congratulatory message on the occasion of the historic transition, and the two talked about other topics including climate change that will be discussed at the G-20 meeting, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
The empress and Macron's wife Brigitte talked in French and English, it said.
The meeting was followed by a luncheon, joined by the emperor's nieces, Princess Mako and Princess Kako.
The emperor's luncheons with distinguished foreign guests visiting in an official capacity, other than state guests, had been scrapped since 2016 to reduce the burden on then Emperor Akihito, 85, but they were revived upon the ascension of his 59-year-old son.
Emperor Naruhito met with Macron last September when he was crown prince. He was visiting France on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries and attended a dinner hosted by the president and his wife.
The summit of G-20 leading economies in Osaka is scheduled to be held through Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Macron met with senior executives of Japanese and French companies and said, "Governments and firms must join to create a new model" for addressing pressing issues including social disparities and environmental problems.
He also called for common rules in utilizing artificial intelligence and other digital technologies as they could cause ethical problems, adding he will raise the issue at the Group of Seven advanced nations' summit, which France chairs in August.
On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Macron agreed to step up cooperation in the field of maritime security, with the two countries issuing a five-year road map through 2023 for a partnership that will also deal with issues ranging from global trade to climate change.
