Japan’s Crown Prince and Princess Akishino will visit Paraguay in August to mark 90 years since the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the South American country.
The goodwill visit, approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday, will be made at the invitation of Paraguay’s government. The Crown Prince and Princess will fly out of Tokyo on August 18 for Paraguay’s capital Asuncion.
During the nine-day trip, the couple will meet President Santiago Pena Palacios and attend a ceremony to mark 90 years since migration started under a Japanese government program. Paraguay is now said to be home to about 10,000 Japanese immigrants and their descendants.
The Crown Prince and Princess are due to visit a number of Japanese settlement sites. They include La Colmena where the immigrants first settled and Yguazu, a leading farming district of wheat and soybeans.
The couple is expected to offer flowers at a monument dedicated to the pioneers, and talk with the settlers and their descendants.
Among Imperial family members, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko visited Paraguay in 1978 when they were Crown Prince and Princess. Crown Prince Akishino also paid a visit in 2006 before assuming his current title.
AloJapan.com