Society

Crown Prince, Princess watch rugby in Kamaishi

Sep 26 (NHK) - Japan's Crown Prince and Princess Akishino have watched a rugby match held in Kamaishi, one of the towns hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The couple visited Kamaishi Unosumai Memorial Stadium in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Wednesday to watch a World Cup game between Fiji and Uruguay.

The stadium was built at the site of an elementary school devastated by the quake and tsunami.

The game started after a moment of silence to remember the disaster victims.

The couple were applauding during the heated match with both teams competing fiercely to score tries.

Earlier in the day, they visited a shopping district built two years ago in Ofunato, another disaster-hit town.

About 30 stores are operating there, including the ones which had continued business in a makeshift shopping area after the disaster.

Prince Akishino talked to employees of a confectionary store. He was asking them about the time when they were operating in a temporary facility.

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