TOKYO: Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko left Tuesday for an official visit to Turkiye, as this year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Turkiye.

The couple departed from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in the morning on a government plane for the Turkish capital of Ankara. They will return home on Sunday.

Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday. Arrangements are underway for Crown Princess Kiko to meet with the president’s wife.

On Thursday, the couple will attend a ceremony in Istanbul to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Japan-Turkey diplomatic ties, at which the Crown Prince will deliver a speech.

They will visit the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, where an exhibition of works by a Japanese artist is being held, on Friday and the Kaman-Kalehoyuk archaeological site in central Turkiye, where the late Prince Mikasa participated in excavations, on Saturday.

JIJI Press