2,100 people attend garden party hosted by emperor, empress

Sabtu, 20 April 2013 01:06

(TOKYO-Kyodo) Around 2,100 people attended a spring garden party hosted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Thursday at the Akasaka Imperial Garden in Tokyo, the Imperial Household Agency said.

The attendees included Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka, who won the 2012 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his advanced research on iPS cells, astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, ocean adventurer Kenichi Horie and Masae Komiya, who won a gold medal as a member of the winning Japanese women's goalball team at last year's London Paralympics.

While Crown Prince Naruhito, Prince Akishino and his wife and other imperial family members attended the party and spoke with guests, Crown Princess Masako, who is to attend the coronation of a new Dutch king later this month, was absent.

The crown princess has excused herself from the biannual garden parties since the fall of 2003.

Her attendance at the coronation would be her first official overseas trip in 11 years. She has continued to receive treatment for a stress-induced illness since 2002.