Japanese royal couple on first official US visit

June 05, 2018 07:45 am | Updated 07:45 am IST

 n this Saturday, May 19, 2018, file photo, Japan's Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko watch as Prince Hisahito participates in a sports event at a primary school affiliated with Ochanomizu University in Tokyo.

n this Saturday, May 19, 2018, file photo, Japan's Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko watch as Prince Hisahito participates in a sports event at a primary school affiliated with Ochanomizu University in Tokyo.

The Japanese royal couple is in Hawaii this week as part of a yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants arriving in the islands.

Akishino and Kiko laid a white wreath with peace lilies on Monday at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in remembrance of soldiers who died during World War II and the Vietnam War.

The couple was accompanied by cemetery director James Horton, and Adm. Phil Davidson, who became last week the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, the American military’s Pacific headquarters.

They also laid a second white wreath at Ehime Maru Memorial in downtown Honolulu’s Kakaako Waterfront Park, which commemorates Japanese lives lost when a U.S. submarine collided with a Japanese ship in 2001.

On Tuesday, the royal couple will plant a tree in Thomas Square, visit the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, and attend dinner with Gov. David Ige at his residence, Washington Place.

Emperor Akihito announced in December that he would abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne at the end of April 2019, after reigning for 30 years. His eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, is expected to succeed the following day. Akishino, 52, would then take on the role of crown prince.

The royal couple visited Brazil in 2015 and Chile in 2017 to mark the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.