In 1921, the heir to the throne of Japan, Crown Prince Hirohito, visited Malta as part of a wider European tour.

Diminutive and shy, he spoke no European language properly – only the slightest smattering of French. Shortly after his Malta visit, he succeeded his father as Emperor of Japan up to his death in 1989.

Hirohito arriving at the Governor’s Palace and saluting the crowd from the balcony.

Credible top-secret intelligence from Japanese and British security sources indicated that three named Korean nationalists were plotting to assassinate Hirohito in Malta. Japan had invaded and annexed Korea in 1910, and anti-Japanese feelings ran high among the Koreans.

Prince Hirohito inspecting a military guard of honour on Main Guard Square.

Grand military parade on the Main Guard on the occasion of Hirohito’s visit.

Prince Hirohito being greeted on board the British flagship in Grand Harbour on his arrival.

Three named Korean nationalists were plotting to assassinate Hirohito in Malta

Malta ended on the highest security alert – the prince’s schedule and itineraries were kept confidential. Two years later, in Tokyo, a firearm attempt on Hirohito’s life by a fanatical Japanese communist, failed by a whisker.

Marble inscription at the Casino Maltese to commemorate Hirohito’s visit.

The Crown Prince arrived in Grand Harbour by the battleship Katori on April 24, 1921. Governor Lord Plumer and the top British brass laid out a lavish welcome programme – street decorations, parades, receptions, a gala performance of Verdi’s Othello at the Opera House. Among the distinguished hosts figured the Maltese consul for Japan, Joseph Howard, shortly to become the first prime minister of self-governing Malta.

A ‘Japanese’ event in Cottonera, related to Hirohito’s visit to Malta or to the presence of the Japanese in World War I.

Highlights of the prince’s stay on the island included a banquet hosted by the Casino Maltese, marked by exchanges of precious gifts and the walling of a marble memorial tablet. Also, a visit to the Kalkara naval cemetery. 

The British fleet in Grand Harbour illuminated on the occasion of Hirohito's visit.

A British warship in Grand Harbour displaying the chrysanthemum, the symbol of the Japanese imperial dynasty.

Prince Hirohito being greeted on board the British flagship in Grand Harbour on his arrival.

During World War I, a Japanese naval squadron operating from Grand Harbour had taken active part in Mediterranean Allied activities. An Austrian submarine torpedoed the destroyer Sakaki with the loss of 68 Japanese officers and men. Prince Hirohito went personally to pay homage to their graves.

All images from the author’s collections

Hirohito leaving St John’s Co-Cathedral after his visit.