YONAGO, Tottori Pref.: Japanese Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, attended a national sign language performance contest for high school students Sunday.

“I hope that through this contest, people’s understanding will deepen of various languages including sign language, complete hearing loss and hearing difficulty, and backgrounds and situations different from their own,” she said in sign language at the opening ceremony of the event, held in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, western Japan.

She then watched plays, dances and other performances by high school students using sign language.

The contest is an annual event held in Tottori since 2014. Princess Kako attends it from the first year.

Last year, however, she had to cancel her attendance because she was found positive for COVID-19 after her arrival in the prefecture.

JIJI Press