PICS: Japan’s royal couple first India visit

File photo of Their Imperial Highness the Emperor Hirohito, Empress Nagako and Crown Prince Akihito with the then Prime Minister Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi at a luncheo party at the Imeprial Palace in Tokyo in October 1957. The Emperor Akihito is arriving on Saturday for a visit to India 53 years after his visit as Crown Prince. "I hope our visit will contribute to further enhancing the understanding and friendship between the two countries which marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations (last year)," Emperor Akihito said at Haneda airport. Akihito and Empress Michiko are beginning a week-long visit, meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top officials in New Delhi before flying to the southern city of Chennai. The trip is the first by any Japanese emperor to India although Akihito, 79, visited there in the early 1960s when he was crown prince.