Satuk Buğra Kutlugün
08 October 2015•Update: 09 October 2015
By İlhan Toprak
TOKYO
Turkey's President Recep Erdogan has highlighted the historical friendship between his country and Japan during the second day of a state visit to the country, while commemorating the tragic sinking of the Ottoman frigate Ertugrul.
"The Japanese government and the people of Kushimoto helped the injured sailors, making the saga became a milestone in historic friendly relations between Turkey and Japan," Erdogan said in a Thursday speech at Waseda University in the country's capital Tokyo - where he was also given an honorary doctoral degree.
"We are two great nations, two countries located in far west and east of Asia who protected its cultural heritage up to now."
In September 1890, more than 580 sailors lost their lives after the Ertugrul was caught in a typhoon off the coast of Wakayama prefecture. It had drifted into a reef before sinking off an island close to Kushimoto town en-route to Istanbul.
The people of Kushimoto helped the stranded sailors, and the entire saga has become a milestone in friendly relations between Turkey and Japan - none more so than in Oshima District in Kagoshima prefecture, the home of the Ertugrul Monument.
On Thursday, Erdogan highlighted the role of local schoolchildren who have looked after the monument, and helped preserve the memory of the martyrs who died in the disaster's memory.
"I would like to thank those children, who have small bodies but massive hearts," he said.
After leaving the university, Erdogan met with Japan's Emperor Akihito in a closed-to-press meeting that lasted about 30 minutes, after which he was officially greeted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
At a joint press conference involving the two delegations, Erdogan announced that both he and Abe would jointly attend the November premiere of Japanese-Turkish co-production "1890 Ertugrul".
He added that 1000 acres of land has been set aside in Istanbul for a Turkey-Japan Science and Technology University.
"This is a very important development," Erdogan underlined.
Abe, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of the Marmaray, a subterranean rail system crossing the Bosphorus that was inaugurated in Oct. 2013.
"Turkey, with that project, established wings that holds Asian continent from east and the west," he said, while also reiterating support for Turkey's efforts to establish peace and stability in the Mediterranean Sea.
* Anadolu Agency correspondent Satuk Bugra Kutlugun contributed to this story from Ankara
