Lima, Nov 3 (EFE).- Japan’s Princess Kako participated Friday in the presentation in Lima of a postage stamp commemorating the 150 years of diplomatic relations between her country and Peru, then visiting a nursing home in the area north of the capital.
As part of the activities on the first day of her official visit, the princess attended the issuance of the postage stamp together with Peru’s Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Ignacio Higueras, and Peru’s Postal Services General Manager Alexander Infantes.
Kako later visited a nursing home for the elderly of the “Asociacion Enmanuel,” run by the Sisters of Charity of Miyazaki, in the north of Metropolitan Lima.
After being welcomed with songs and applause by the elders, the princess told them that she was “very happy to meet them” and said she thanked them “very much” for the warm welcome.
At the beginning of his first day of activities, Kako celebrated Friday the 150 years of diplomatic relations between his country and Peru, speaking with representatives of the Nikkei community (descendants of Japanese in Peru.) She spoke of her desire to know the “charm” of the Andean nation, where she will remain until Wednesday.
Dressed in a traditional kimono, in orange and green tones, she expressed her “deepest gratitude” for the invitation of the Peruvian government and to all those who have made this visit possible.
She said that “124 years ago, in 1899, 790 Japanese arrived in Peru on the (ship) ‘Sakura Maru.’ I would like to fix in my mind and keep in my heart that the Japanese immigrants and their descendants overcame many difficulties and hardships and have performed with honesty, diligence and helping each other, and who have contributed to Peruvian society, earning their trust.”
She also remembered the visit of her grandparents, the now emeritus emperors, in 1967, at which time they inaugurated the Peruvian Japanese Center where the princess spoke, and also her parents’ trip to Peru 10 years ago, as well as that of her older sister, four years ago.
Kako’s activities in Peru were postponed a day after her flight from Tokyo to Lima, with a stopover in the United States city of Houston, was delayed Thursday.
The princess, 28, niece of current Emperor Naruhito, also plans to visit Cusco, following in the footsteps of her older sister Mako, who was in Machu Picchu when she visited the country in 2019 before leaving the Imperial House after her marriage.
The princess is assuming many of the commitments and roles that her sister played, including the honorary presidency of several organizations and her participation in international trips. EFE
dub/lds
