With the world’s eyes on Tokyo for the Olympics, it’s the perfect time to recall Japan’s Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita’s trip to Toronto in 1988, when he relaxed his traditionally formal comportment as he mingled with visitors to the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. His unusual familiarity delighted the crowds, especially Haruko Kawano, who was honoured when Takeshita stopped to hug her adorable granddaughter, Mariko Mackasey. Two-year-old Mackasey was a little less enthusiastic about the introduction, as captured by Star photographer Bernard Weil. A copy of the photograph has been prominently displayed in the Mackasey family home for the past three decades. “She was already up in years but would travel 14 hours on a plane by herself to visit my family in Canada,” says Mackasey.

Source: thestar August 08, 2021 09:05 UTC