Amsterdam – Emperor Naruhito visited Leiden University on Thursday during his state visit to the Netherlands, holding talks with students learning about Japan.
The oldest university in the Netherlands, established in 1575, is the only one in the country offering Japanese studies. Dutch King Willem-Alexander, who accompanied the Emperor, is a graduate of the university in the city of Leiden.
The Emperor talked with students and professors at the university’s botanical garden. He asked a student of Japanese art what led to an interest in it.
Earlier in the day, the Emperor visited the Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice, in The Hague.
He inspected a room displaying portraits of past ICJ presidents including Hisashi Owada, the father of Empress Masako, and the court’s Great Hall of Justice.
After visiting the university, the Emperor returned to Amsterdam and viewed works of renowned 17th-century Dutch painters Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, a national museum, together with Dutch Queen Maxima.
