Imperial couple attend opening ceremony of cultural festivals in Okinawa

OKINAWA, Oct 24 (NHK) - Japan's Emperor and Empress have attended the opening ceremony of art and culture festivals in Okinawa Prefecture.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako appeared at the opening ceremony for the national cultural festival and the national art and cultural festival for people with disabilities in Ginowan City on Sunday.

In a speech, the Emperor mentioned Okinawa's long history of cultural activities through its exchanges with East Asia since the time when it was the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The Emperor said he is delighted to see people gathering in Okinawa for art and cultural events this year, when the prefecture marks 50 years since it was returned to Japan from US rule.

The Imperial couple later enjoyed music and dance performances depicting Okinawa's history. ...continue reading

Oct 24 (ANNnewsCH) - 沖縄県を訪問している天皇皇后両陛下が国民文化祭の開会式に出席されました。  ...continue reading