Princess Aiko is scheduled to make an official six-day visit to Laos starting on Nov. 17, according to a plan approved by the government at a Cabinet meeting on Friday.
Marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Laos this year, the princess will attend a banquet hosted by the Laotian government.
This will be Princess Aiko’s first official visit to a foreign country. She is the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.
According to the Imperial Household Agency, the princess will depart Japan on a commercial flight on Nov. 17 and arrive in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, later that day.
On Nov. 18, she will pay a courtesy visit to Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, followed by a banquet hosted by Lao Vice President Pany Yathotou.
The following day, she will visit the COPE Visitor Center, which aims to raise awareness about the ordnance dropped during the Vietnam War. The Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise is a nonprofit organization in Laos.
The next day, the princess will travel to Luang Prabang, an ancient city, to tour the National Museum there. A meeting with a local government leader and a luncheon are also being arranged.
She will leave Vientiane on a commercial flight on Nov. 21 after meeting with Japanese residents and Laotians with ties to Japan. She will return home on Nov. 22.
This will mark the fifth official visit to Laos by members of the imperial family. In 2012, Emperor Naruhito, then crown prince, visited the country.
AloJapan.com