Japan’s Princess Aiko Returns From Laos, Expresses Thanks for Warm Hospitality

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:46 JST, November 22, 2025

Princess Aiko, the daughter of the Emperor and the Empress, has returned home from her first official overseas visit to Laos. She arrived at Narita Airport on a commercial flight on Saturday.

“Thanks to Laotian people’s warm personalities and thoughtfulness, it became a fulfilling and unforgettable visit,” she said in a written statement released after her return.

The princess arrived in the Southeast Asian country on Monday. She received the same level of hospitality accorded heads of state. As this year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Laos, she made a courtesy call to Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith and was invited to a banquet hosted by Laotian Vice President Pany Yathotou.

The princess said in the statement that she had received heartfelt hospitality.

During the visit, she visited a combined junior and senior high school with Japanese language classes, a martial arts center where a member of the Japan International Cooperation Agency teaches judo, and a children’s hospital operated in part by a Japanese nonprofit organization.

“I would be pleased if my visit will help further broaden the exchanges between Japan and Laos in the future,” she wrote in the statement.

At the end of the statement, she touched on efforts to promote international goodwill by the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Emerita as well as the Emperor and the Empress.

“I renewed my determination to pass on the steps taken by members of the Imperial family, and I sincerely hope that ties of friendship between Japan and Laos will develop,” she wrote.