Japan Crown Prince, Princess Attend Tree Festival in Fukui

Echizen, Fukui Pref., Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko attended the 47th National Tree Care Festival in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, on Sunday.

In a speech, the Crown Prince expressed his sympathy for people affected by the Jan. 1 earthquake and the September rain disaster that both hit the Noto Peninsula, located near Fukui.

"I sincerely hope that the recovery of the disaster-stricken areas will advance," said the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito.

The Crown Prince also said, "It is an important duty for us to pass on our irreplaceable forests to future generations."

During their two-day trip to Fukui from Saturday, the couple took care of trees planted by Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko during the 2009 National Tree-Planting Festival in Fukui.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]