JAPAN CELEBRATES 250TH INDEPENDENCE DAY BY GIFTING U.S. 250 CHERRY TREES
One of the most popular tourist destinations in the nation's capital is the cherry trees of Washington, D.C., which attract thousands of visitors each spring. Regretfully, it was revealed that 140 of these trees would be destroyed as part of the Tidal Basin restoration project. In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Japan has stepped up and agreed to donate 250 new trees to the city, realising the significance of these trees to the local way of life.
As part of a state visit, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the announcement at a ceremony at the White House. "Like our friendship, these trees are timeless, inspiring, and thriving," said President Joe Biden in his thank you to Kishida for the cherry trees.
Yukio Ozaki, the mayor of Tokyo, gave Washington its first Japanese cherry trees in 1912. 12, different varieties of 3,020 trees were planted throughout the city, the Potomac River, and the Tidal Basin. To aid in the restoration of the original grove, which had declined, the National Park Service (NPS) sent budwood from the offspring of those same trees back to Tokyo after World War II.
The prime minister declared, "These cherry trees, native to Japan, have been heralding the arrival of spring to the city every year for over 110 years." Kishida also mentioned that the original trees had bloomed for over a century because of the city's excellent care, whereas the Somei Yoshino variety only lived for roughly 60 years in the city.
Taller sea walls around the Tidal Basin and along the Potomac River will be made possible by the removal of 140 trees. The present sea walls were built in the 1800s, and as a result, they are too low to provide protection from storm surges and tidal waves.
“This critical investment will ensure the park is able to protect some of the nation’s most iconic memorials and the Japanese flowering cherry trees from the immediate threats of failing infrastructure and rising sea levels for the next 100 years,” writes the NPS.
"Many of us mark the arrival of another spring with their blossoms, a reminder of our friendship and its immeasurable impact on our people and on the entire world," says Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Since Tokyo's mayor donated the first cherry trees to our nation's capital over a century ago." "Yesterday, I informed the prime minister that Washington's cherry trees draw visitors from all over the country. It's amazing how this has developed into one of our capital's most potent symbols, and Japan is to blame for that.