To continue building connections with Japanese abroad, Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko plan to visit Hawaii in June and their eldest daughter Princess Mako will likely go to Brazil in July, an official of the Imperial Household Agency said Monday.
The agency is making arrangements for the couple's weeklong trip to Hawaii and their daughter's visit to Brazil, which will likely be her final trip abroad before she leaves the Imperial family. Both trips will mark anniversaries for the arrival of Japanese immigrants, the official said.
The prince — the younger son of Emperor Akihito — and the princess plan to attend an event on Oahu on June 6 to be organized by the Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad, a Yokohama-based group for people of Japanese descent, as well as a ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Hawaii on June 7.
Princess Mako is scheduled to join a ceremony commemorating the 110th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil.
The prince and princess have attended the association's annual conventions in Japan and previously interacted with South Americans of Japanese descent during trips to Chile last year and to Brazil in 2015.
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have placed great importance on having exchanges with people of Japanese descent abroad, and this effort has been passed on to Crown Prince Naruhito and Prince Akishino.
In accordance with Imperial House Law, Princess Mako will renounce her status as an Imperial family member after marrying fiance Kei Komuro, a commoner, in November.