Britain's Prince William arrives in Japan to visit disaster-hit areas
TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Britain's Prince William arrived in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon for a four-day trip to visit areas in northeastern Japan that were hit hard by the March 2011 disasters and to survey venues for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
During his first visit to Japan, the prince is scheduled to spend time with local people in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, and in Ishinomaki and Onagawa, both on the Miyagi Prefecture coast, who were affected by the earthquake and tsunami. The visit, following a request from the British government, is aimed at strengthening economic and cultural ties between the countries. Following his arrival at Tokyo's Haneda airport, the prince will be shown around venues for the 2020 Games by Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe later Thursday. On Friday he is scheduled to visit Commonwealth war graves in Yokohama before attending a trade fair for British products in Tokyo. He will meet with residents in Koriyama on Saturday, then in Ishinomaki and Onagawa on Sunday, before leaving Japan later that day for a visit to China through March 4. The prince's wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who is expecting their second child, is not accompanying him on the trip. The last visit to Japan by a member of the British royal family was by Prince Andrew in late 2013. Prince William's father Prince Charles last visited Japan in 2008 and his late mother Princess Diana's last visit was in 1995. Source: Kyodo