09/05/12 11:37:10 2kzdzTiK0
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Japan's Prince Akishino meets Austria's president
VIENNA (AFP) ?
Japan's Prince Akishino, second in line to the imperial throne, met Monday with Austrian President Heinz Fischer at the start of a four-day visit.
Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko were greeted by Fischer at the Hofburg Imperial Palace, the seat of the presidency in Vienna,
before discussing bilateral ties and cultural and scientific cooperation between the two countries, according to a presidency spokesman.
Visits to the Japanese school in Vienna as well as cultural sights in and around the capital were also on the programme of the four-day visit.
Among them is a visit on Tuesday to the house in Eisenstadt of composer Josef Haydn,
in a year of celebrations marking his life and work 200 years after his death, as well as top tourist attraction, Schoenbrunn Palace.
Prince Akishino, 43, the second son of Japanese Emperor Akihito, and Princess Kiko are on a two-week tour of Europe
that will also take them to Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.
The aim of the goodwill visit is to promote closer ties, according to the Japanese government.
This year marks the 140th year of Japanese diplomatic ties with Austria and Hungary
and the 50th year since Tokyo resumed formal relations with Bulgaria and Romania.