Amsterdam ¨C Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, currently on a state visit to the Netherlands, planted a cherry tree at a park near Amsterdam on Friday.
At a monument in the Cherry Blossom Park for the victims of the March 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami that mainly struck northeastern Japan, the emperor and empress observed a moment of silence.
The memorial monument was established by a local municipality. Around the area, 400 cherry trees have been planted to symbolize exchanges between Japan and the Netherlands.
After the planting event, the imperial couple held talks at a hotel in Amsterdam with Dutch people with ties to Japan and Japanese residents in the European country.
The emperor and empress listened attentively to participants, including Inez Schelfhout, a Dutch clinical psychologist who has contributed to promoting Japan-Netherlands exchanges while engaging in trauma treatment for soldiers and their children affected by World War II, according to informed sources.
On Saturday, the couple are scheduled to leave the Netherlands for Belgium. They will return to Japan on June 26.
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