Public Service
In addition to their official duties, Prince and Princess Hitachi serve as President or Honorary President of a wide variety of organizations.
The Prince and Princess attended the 66th National Athletic Meet (in Yamaguchi Prefecture) and the 24th National Health and Welfare Festival for Senior Citizens (in Kumamoto Prefecture) in October 2011, and the 2011 Concours of Schoolchildren’s Inventions (in Hokkaido) in November 2011, among other events. On each of these visits, They took the opportunity to observe the situations in each of the regions.
They also devoted themselves to the fostering of international goodwill, through a visit in July 2011 to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (to attend events related to the Praemium Imperiale global arts prize in honor of Prince Takamatsu) and a courtesy call on Queen Elizabeth II. In March 2012, They traveled to the Kingdom of Tonga to attend the state funeral of King George Tupou V.
The Princess attends events of the Japanese Red Cross Society Regional Meetings in her capacity as Honorary Vice-President and events of the Japan Ikebana Arts Association in her capacity as Honorary President. In addition, she is involved in charitable events such as those of the Nippon-Latin American Ladies' Association and the Japan Animal Welfare Society. The Princess is deeply interested in animal welfare in particular. She has translated and published five foreign children's books and picture books about animals, including Dot the Fire Dog, which was published in April 2005. The proceeds from these books are donated to the cause of animal welfare.
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