Emperor Naruhito hopes Japan, Netherlands to "walk together for peace"

AMSTERDAM - Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended a state banquet at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on Wednesday, where he expressed his hope that Japan and the Netherlands "will continue to walk together for peace in the future."

In a speech delivered in English in the presence of hosts King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, the emperor touched on the two countries' wartime past, saying, "It is truly sad that many precious lives were lost and many people were injured, including a large number of civilians during the last world war."