WASHINGTON — Japan's prime minister has gifted new cherry tree's to D.C.'s iconic Tidal Basin. Kishida Fumio made the announcement of the new trees during a White House welcome ceremony with President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
In his remarks, Kishida said he took action once he heard some of the trees would have to be felled to accommodate construction around the Tidal Basin.
"When I heard that some of the trees would be replaced… I decided to send 250 new cherry trees to commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States," Kishida said.
D.C.'s Cherry Blossom Festival is wrapping up this weekend. The festival celebrates the famed 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, D.C. The classic springtime celebration highlights the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan and has gone on to welcome more than 1.5 million people to enjoy the festivities, according to the website.
A $113 million project to reconstruct the seawalls along the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park has been a long time coming, and the National Park Service and is set to get underway in early summer.
The seawalls along the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park were initially constructed in the late 1800s to early 1900s and since then, they’ve settled as much as five feet. We have also seen sea levels rise around a foot since that time.
The massive investment is meant to ensure the park is able to protect D.C.'s memorials, and the Japanese flowering cherry trees from the immediate threats of failing infrastructure and rising sea levels for the next 100 years.
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