Ivanka Trump’s Tokyo speech on Friday was delivered to a half-empty room, although the start of her Japan trip the day before looked like the Beatles had just arrived.
The president’s daughter and advisor was addressing the Japanese government’s World Assembly for Women conference just two days ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival in Japan, The Washington Post reported.
Her keynote motivational speech focused on female entrepreneurship, something she has passionately been campaigning over the past few months. It is not clear why such a small crowd turned up to the highly publicized event, the Post said, but it could have been due to Friday being a public holiday in Japan.
The tepid turnout was a stark contrast to the media frenzy that had ignited upon her arrival at Narita International Airport on Thursday. The New York Times reported that Japanese news media followed Ivanka Trump’s every move, treating her arrival as major news.
A White House official said per the Post that Ivanka Trump’s speech was “the most registered event” of the conference, but security delays resulted in people not being able to arrive on time.
A post reporter, though, said only a handful of people were seen stuck behind the security cordon when the speech began.
Trump took the stage at the conference alongside Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who said his government aimed to increase women’s participation in the workplace and boost economic growth by initiating various policies that included improved childcare.
“We've put our full strength into creating an environment where it's easy for women to work,” said Abe, per The Daily Mail. “I really feel that Japan has come a long way.”
Trump was scheduled to have dinner with Abe and his wife on Friday night and depart before her father arrives on his first trip to Japan as president.
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