NETHERLANDS: Expat Japanese welcome news that Princess Masako, Crown Prince Naruhito and their daughter are coming to visit Dutch royals

Japanese Princess Masako, her daughter Aiko and husband Crown Prince Naruhito were scheduled to visit visit Dutch royal family at their 300-years old castle Palais Het Loo near by Apeldoorn in central Netherlands from Thursday (August 17). A small expat community lives in the south suburb of Amsterdam, where its members can buy Japanese food products, hair products, manga movies and eat home-made Japanese lunches at the local lunchroom. "This is a place where time goes by slowly, so I hope she (Princess Masako) gets plenty of rest and returns to do well in Japan," a Japanese mother of two girls said to Reuters on Thursday. While eating his lunch, Japanese expat, who identified himself as Mr Kaneko, said: "I hope that her stay here will help her illness in some way." Nobody wanted to comment on the nature of Princess Masako's illness, but they all hoped she would get better. Forty-two-year-old Masako has largely shunned her public duties for more than two years due to a mental illness caused by the stresses of royal life, including pressure to bear a male heir. Masako has one daughter, four-year-old Aiko, but only males can inherit the throne by law. The last royal male born was Prince Akishino, the emperor's younger son and Kiko's husband, in 1965. The Japanese royals are staying in the Netherlands until August 31, when they will return to Japan.

ITN Source | August 18, 2006

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