Their Majesties chat with Kotaro Yoshida and others; 1,400 people attend autumn garden party

An autumn garden party hosted by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress was held on the afternoon of the 29th at Akasaka Gyoen National Garden in Motoakasaka, Tokyo. Approximately 1,400 people attended, including actor Kotaro Yoshida, and Their Majesties and other members of the imperial family greeted each other with smiles.

Mr. Yoshida, who is of the same generation as the Emperor, began by saying, ``I've felt a close affinity with him since I was a child,'' and when he revealed that his late mother called him ``Naru-chan,'' both Emperors smiled. When the Empress asked, ``What do you call me?'' Yoshida answered, ``Kouta,'' and His Majesty responded, ``Naru-chan and Kouta.''

Deputy Governor Nobuyoshi Takeuchi of Kumamoto Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the July earthquake, told Their Majesties who visited the prefecture in September, ``All of you who have been affected by the disaster are also moving forward.'' His Majesty the Emperor expressed his gratitude, saying, ``I'm sure you've gone through a lot of trouble.''

Tomoko Namba, president and CEO of DeNA, who also owns the professional baseball team Yokohama DeNA BayStars, revealed that the Empress was a fan of the Taiyo Whales when she was in middle school, and Namba responded, ``It would be like a dream if you could come visit once.''

Novelist Miyuki Miyabe and astronaut Takuya Onishi were also in attendance. Their Majesties and members of the imperial family met in two groups.