Prince Akishino, Princess Kiko leave for 10-day trip to Chile

Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko, left for a 10-day trip to Chile on Monday to deepen international friendship on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with Japan.

The prince, the youngest of the two sons born to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, is scheduled with the princess to meet representatives of an estimated 3,000 people of Japanese descent living in the South American country soon after arriving in Santiago on Tuesday afternoon local time.

On Wednesday, they are scheduled to attend a welcoming ceremony at Moneda Palace and meet Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. They will also attend a ceremony commemorating the establishment of diplomatic ties.

The couple will then travel to the coastal city of Valparaiso to visit a naval facility in charge of tsunami observation, and Puerto Varas, in southern Chile, to see a farming facility for salmon, a large amount of which is imported to Japan.

They are scheduled to depart Chile on Oct. 2 and return to Tokyo on Oct. 4.

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