Honduras Declares 2015 a 'Year of Friendship' with Japan: Princess Mako Visits the Land of the Rising Sun to Strengthen Ties

Princess Mako of Japan kicked off her Central America visit in El Salvador and Honduras on Dec. 3 to mark the eight-decade diplomatic relationship of her island nation and the North American continent. The granddaughter of Emperor Akihito arrived in Honduras on Sunday, Dec. 6, for a five-day trip to seal Japan's ties with the country.

According to The Japan Times, the 24-year-old daughter of Prince Fumihito was welcomed by the Honduran First Lady, Ana Garcia de Hernandez, when she arrived at the international airport in San Pedro Sula.

Her visit was part of a two-country tour in Central America, with Honduras declaring their "year of friendship" with Japan this year. The princess' itinerary includes a visit to the archaeological site of Mayan ruins called Joya de Ceren, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Channel News Asia added that she will visit a university, which has Japanese-funded research projects. In addition, she will also visit a theater and casino complex in the second city of Santa Ana, and the archaeological site of Mayan ruins, called Joya de Ceren, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Princess Mako will also have business matters to attend to. She will first see the Foreign Minister, Hugo Martinez, at his private home, where he will also hold a private meeting with the country's president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, and his wife on Tuesday.Mako will return to her home country on Dec. 12.

This was the first time that the emperors' first-born had her official trip without the company of her Imperial family. It has been known that Japan opened up their legal diplomatic ties in 1935 with Central American countries like El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

Meanwhile, Hello Magazine noted that Princess Mako spent a normal, student life at the University of Leicester, in England, for a year. She took up a Masters in Art Museum and Gallery Studies, which she just recently finished.

She made sure that her real identity at the university was unknown, unlike in her home country, where she was always watched by the public eye. In the United Kingdom, she lived just like a normal student, where she could freely walk the campus' halls without being recognized.

Princess Mako completed an eight-week assignment at Coventry Museum and collections-based research at New Walk Museum in Leicester. However, they decided to reveal her real identity in Leicester through a press conference after her course was finished.

Watch Princess Mako's visit in Central America by AFPBB News.