Dutch King in Japan on trade mission

Yesterday King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima arrived in Tokyo and today they were officially received by Emperor Akihito and his wife Michiko at the imperial palace. Tonight they will attend the traditional state banquet. The Japanese imperial family and the Dutch royal family know each other well. They meet regularly. When King Willem-Alexander was inaugurated in Amsterdam last year, Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife were present. Shortly before he became king, Willem-Alexander said that he sees state visits mainly as a means to facilitate trade. That is reflected in the program of this state visit. A large economic delegation is traveling along. Topics in this visit are energy, aging and agricultural trade. Energy has been an important issue since the disaster in the nuclear power plant Fukushima. Alternative sources must be found for the energy. Japan is dealing with a rapidly aging population, just like the Netherlands if not more. This visit lasts until Friday. Then the royal couple has the weekend free. Monday the two day state visit to North Korea starts.