TOKYO - Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito and Princess Kiko left for an official visit to Paraguay on Tuesday to mark 90 years of Japanese immigration to the South American country and strengthen ties with the local diaspora community.
The imperial family regularly makes visits during milestone years to meet with descendants of Japanese immigrants. During a press conference before his first visit to Paraguay in two decades, the prince said, "I look forward to hearing their stories again."
Paraguay is home to around 10,000 people of Japanese descent. After neighboring Brazil imposed immigration restrictions in 1934, the first group of 81 people from 11 families arrived from Japan and founded a new settlement in La Colmena in south-central Paraguay in 1936.
After a hiatus during World War II, the number of Japanese settlements increased in the postwar period. They cleared virgin forests, established Japanese-language schools and placed importance on education.
Those who settled there introduced soybean cultivation methods suited to the local climate and spread them throughout Paraguay. They played a significant role, particularly in the agricultural sector, and soybeans grew to become one of the country's major export commodities.
Beginning with a visit in 1978 by Former Emperor Akihito and Former Empress Michiko, the imperial family have regularly made visits to the country, including by the crown prince in 2006 and his daughter, former Princess Mako, who married out of the imperial family, in 2016.
During their visit, the prince and princess are scheduled to lay flowers at a memorial for Japanese descendants who died in incidents during the settlement period.
The prince has said that "I believe the contributions of Japanese immigrants and their descendants have been immense" in fostering the good relations between the two countries.
