Crown Prince Naruhito arrived Tuesday in New York, where he will attend U.N. meetings on water, disasters and sanitation.
The Crown Prince, who came to New York at the invitation of the United Nations, is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters.
On Friday, the Crown Prince, known as an expert on water issues, will also give a speech at a meeting of the Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. The Crown Prince has been serving as honorary president of the advisory board since 2007.
During his five-day trip, the Crown Prince will meet with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and take part in an event to mark U.N. World Toilet Day on Thursday. He is scheduled to return home on Saturday.
In 2013, the Crown Prince gave a keynote address at the session on water and disasters at the U.N. headquarters, talking about Japan's experience during the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country's northeast, and the region's subsequent reconstruction.