Japan’s Princess Aiko Views Ornamental Carp in Niigata Pref., Visits Exhibit on Chuetsu Earthquake

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, September 8, 2025

OJIYA, Niigata — Princess Aiko, the daughter of the Emperor and the Empress, visited a facility for viewing ornamental nishikigoi carp in Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture, on Monday, as part of her trip to the prefecture.

The facility, Ojiya Nishikigoi no Sato, was damaged in the Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake in 2004.

Ojiya has designated nishikigoi as the city’s official fish, and it is meant to be a symbol of reconstruction. The princess heard from the facility’s staff about what they had to do immediately after the quake, such as using backup generators to keep the carp alive.

“It must have been a lot of work to rebuild,” the princess told the staff.

For the princess’ visit, the facility released 60-centimeter-long nishikigoi into a pond on its grounds.

Later, the princess went to an exhibit in what was formerly the prefecture’s village of Yamakoshi. Because of the earthquake, the village was isolated by mudslides, and all the residents had to be evacuated by Self-Defense Force helicopters or other means. Two weeks after the disaster, the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, then the Emperor and Empress, flew over the village aboard a helicopter to observe the area and then visited evacuated residents at a shelter.

The princess looked at exhibit panels about the damage done by the quake and the rebuilding process. She also met and talked with three people in their 70s who have been sharing their experiences of the disaster.