MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru celebrates 110th anniversary of Japanese immigration

Pence Hitachi at the Friendship Bridge that commemorates Japanese immigration to Peru.

Japan’s Prince Hitachi began an official visit to Peru this weekend to take part in the 110th anniversary celebrations for Japanese immigration to Peru.

The prince, younger brother of Japan's Emperor Akihito and Princess Hanako, laid a wreath at the Lima centenary monument commemorating the migration. The monument known as the Friendship bridge has the engraved names in Spanish and Japanese of the first 790 Japanese immigrants who arrived to Lima on April 1899 on board the Sakura Maru.

Later in the evening the royal couple was hosted at an official reception by President Alan Garcia and his wife Pilar Nores.

On Sunday the couple met with representatives of the Japanese community, which marked the core of the celebrations, and participated in an event at the Japanese-Peruvian Theatre. They mingled with descendents from the original immigrants, or Nikkei, as overseas Japanese are known. The program also includes a visit to the Japanese Immigration Museum.

Peru has one of the largest Japanese communities in Latinamerica estimated in over 100.000. The largest by far is in Brazil.

On Monday Prince Hitachi will continue his official tour of the region with a visit to neighbouring Bolivia.