Japan’s Princess Kako arrives in Peru to mark 150 years of diplomatic relations

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Japanese Princess Kako on Friday arrived in Peru on an official visit to commemorate 150 years of diplomatic relations between both countries.

Kako, 28, will spend six days in the South American country, where she will lead a ceremony to celebrate the start of bilateral relations in 1873, when both countries signed a treaty of friendship, commerce and navigation.

She is expected to visit several landmark sites, including Cuzco, the Andean city that was the capital of the Inca Empire between the 15th and 16th centuries. From there the Princess will head to Qoricancha, or “The Golden Temple” in Quechua language, considered the most important — and most sacred — temple by the Incas.

While in Lima, Princess Kako will visit a school for students suffering from hearing loss. According to the Japanese embassy in Peru, Kako has attended speech competitions among deaf students in Japan, where she has given speeches in sign language.

Japan is Peru’s fourth trade partner, after China, the United States and the European Union. There are seven Japanese mining companies operating in Peru, the world’s second largest producer of copper.

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