Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Prince Akishino, daughter Princess Mako leave for Laos

TOKYO, March 23 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Prince Akishino, the second son of Emperor Akihito, and his daughter Princess Mako left Narita airport Tuesday for a private trip to Laos via Bangkok.

After arriving in the Laotian capital Vientiane on Tuesday night, the prince and his daughter are scheduled to attend an exhibition of farming equipment and pay a courtesy call on Laotian President Choummaly Sayasone on Wednesday.

From Thursday, the two will visit a village in the north of the country to conduct field research on domestic poultry.

The prince cancelled a trip to Thailand scheduled from March 17 prior to visiting Laos due to security concerns primarily derived from recent antigovernment protests there.

The 18-year-old princess, who graduated from the Gakushuin girls' senior high school Monday, was initially slated to join her father in Bangkok on Tuesday but the two decided to leave Japan together on the same flight instead after the change in the prince's itinerary.

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