Japanese Emperor visits Leiden University and the Peace Palace
On his Dutch state visit, Emperor Naruhito engaged with university students on Japanese art, inspected the Peace Palace, and viewed classic seventeenth-century paintings.
- Japanese Emperor Naruhito, accompanied by Dutch King Willem-Alexander, visited Leiden University to converse with students in its Japanese studies programme.
- The university is the only academic institution in the Netherlands to offer such a programme.
- The Emperor's itinerary also included a visit to the Peace Palace in The Hague, which houses the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
- At the Peace Palace, he viewed a portrait of his father-in-law, Hisashi Owada, a former president of the ICJ.
As part of his ongoing state visit to the Netherlands, Japanese Emperor Naruhito travelled to Leiden University on Thursday, 18 June.
Joined by Dutch King Willem-Alexander, an alumnus of the institution in the city of Leiden, the Emperor conversed with undergraduates undertaking Japanese studies.
Founded in 1575, the oldest university in the Netherlands remains the singular academic establishment within the nation to provide such a programme.
The engagement took place within the university's botanical garden, where the Emperor interacted with both faculty and learners.
During these conversations, he notably enquired of a student studying Japanese art about the origins of their specific interest in the subject.
Before this, the royal itinerary included a morning visit to The Hague to see the Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Whilst there, Emperor Naruhito toured the court's Great Hall of Justice and viewed a portrait gallery of former ICJ presidents.
This room holds particular personal significance, as it features a portrait of Hisashi Owada, the father of Empress Masako.
Following his time at the university, the Japanese monarch travelled back to Amsterdam.
Alongside Dutch Queen Maxima, he visited the Rijksmuseum, a national museum, to admire the celebrated masterpieces of renowned seventeenth-century Dutch artists Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
