WASHINGTON: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio presented “Wajima-nuri” lacquerware from the earthquake-hit Noto region in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa to U.S. President Joe Biden in gift exchange at the White House on Tuesday.

Kishida told the president that the gifts–a pair of wooden coffee cups and a wooden ballpoint pen–were “specially made for this occasion through more than 100 manufacturing processes” by a young craftsman who was afflicted by the 7.6-magnitude Noto Peninsula earthquake on New Year’s Day.

We presented @POTUS & @FLOTUS with a gift of Wajima-nuri lacquerware. Since the disaster struck, I have been to the earthquake-affected area in Ishikawa twice. I listened to the passionate sentiments of the young Wajima-nuri lacquerware craftsmen (1/2)pic.twitter.com/ermy5vb4lH

— PM's Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) April 10, 2024

The prime mister also presented coffee beans from Okinawa Prefecture to Biden, and goods featuring Super Mario characters from Nintendo Co. to the president’s 3-year-old grandson.

For his part, Biden gave Kishida a black walnut tripod table handcrafted at a Japanese-American’s workshop in Pennsylvania, Biden’s home state, as well as an album signed by U.S. singer Billy Joel and a woodblock print.

The Japanese and U.S. first ladies also exchanged gifts.

Yuko Kishida presented a set of accessories of Takaoka copperware, a traditional craft in Ishikawa’s neighboring prefecture of Toyama. Jill Biden gave her a painting of a Yoshino cherry tree that they planted together in the South Grounds of the White House last year.

JIJI Press