T.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia arrived in Tokyo on April 13, 1980, for a six-day state visit. On behalf of the Society, President Matsui presented a Kyoto doll to the King and Queen at the Swedish Embassy.
On the occasion of the retirement of H.I.H. Princess Chichibu, Patroness of the Society since 1953, a formal dinner was held on April 27, 1981, at the Miyako Hotel Tokyo, to express the sincere appreciation of the Society.
On May 26, 1981, a reception was held at the Hotel Okura in honour of H.I.H. Prince Masahito Hitachi, who graciously accepted the position as a Patron of the Society. Also, at this reception, the Society presented a gift of pottery to H.E. Ambassador Bengt Odevall, who was to leave Japan in order to serve in his new capacity as Ambassador to Switzerland.
Dr. Kenichi Fukui, who was awarded the 1981 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, agreed to be an Honorary Member of the Society. The 1981 Annual Dinner Party of the Society was held on February 4, 1982, and Dr. Fukui delivered an excellent speech on his wonderful experience of winning the Nobel Prize.
In May 1983, T.I.H. Prince Hitachi, Patron of the Society, and Princess Hitachi paid a visit to the Kingdoms of Sweden and Denmark. To commemorate their visit, the Society held a reception on July 25, 1983, with the co-sponsorship of the Japan-Denmark Society.
H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf arrived in Tokyo in March 1985 for an eight-day visit as an official guest for Expo ’85 in Tsukuba. He graciously attended the Swedish National Day Ceremony at the Tsukuba Expo on March 29. On this occasion, the Society organised a tour and one hundred members and their families participated in this ceremony.
H.M. Queen Silvia, accompanied by a delegation of the Nobel Foundation, enjoyed a six-day tour to Kyoto and Tokyo. On November 13, 1985, an informal tea party was held at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence, with the gracious presence of H.M. the Queen. President Matsui and Vice-President Hattori were invited to the party and they had the opportunity to present a gift from the Society to the Queen.
The Swedish Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Gunnar Lonaeus, Honorary President of the Society, left Japan in September 1986, after five years of service. The Society presented wristwatches as gifts to the Ambassador and Mrs. Lonaeus to express gratitude for their support.
H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf paid an unofficial visit to Japan from October 31 to November 6, 1987, to participate in the “Scandinavian Today”, a celebration of contemporary Scandinavian culture. He graciously attended various events, and President Hattori was honoured to be invited to attend the reception in the presence of H.M. the King, on November 1, 1987, at the Hotel Okura.
In recognition of the exemplary role played by Mr. Akira Matsui, who served as President of the Society from 1974 to 1987, the Society printed a booklet of the impressive speeches that he delivered at the Society’s functions while he was President. In April 1988, the Society distributed this publication to the members.
T.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia paid a three-day visit to Tokyo to attend the State Funeral of the late Showa Emperor on February 24, 1989. President Hattori was invited to a luncheon at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence on February 25, where he had the honour of presenting a gift from the Society to the King and Queen.
A reception in honour of H.E. Mr. Yutaka Nomura was held at the Palace Hotel on December 1, 1989, in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Society. Ambassador Nomura, who served for two and half years as the Japanese Ambassador to Sweden and returned to Tokyo in October 1989, made a speech about his memories and experiences in Sweden. Among the 90 attending guests were H.E. the Swedish Ambassador and Mrs. Ove F. Heyman, Mr. Naoki Tanaka, Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mrs. Tanaka, and Professor Staffan Burenstam Linder, President of the Stockholm School of Economics, who happened to be in Japan, leading a group of ten Professors from his school to exchange ideas with Japanese scholars and businessmen.
To commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Ginjiro Fujihara, the Oji Paper Company, of which Mr. Fujihara served as President, sponsored the project of rebuilding the Japanese tea ceremony house "Zui-ki-tei" with the co-sponsorship of the Oji Paper Company’s three sister companies, Jujo, Honshu and Kanzaki, as well as Gadelius K.K.
On December 4, 1989, an unveiling ceremony of the temporarily rebuilt "Zui-ki-tei" was held with the gracious attendance of T.I.H. Prince and Princess Hitachi and H.I.H. Princess Chichibu, at the Oyu-so (a guest house of Oji Paper). President Hattori, Former President Matsui and other prominent members of the Society were invited to this memorable function.
"Zui-ki-tei" was dismantled, crated and transported to Yokohama for shipment to Sweden, and the re-erection of the house was completed in May. An unveiling ceremony in the Royal Ethnographical Museum was held on May 28, 1990, with the auspicious attendance of Princess Christina.