The Emperor of Japan, Akihito, arrived in Vilnius on Saturday on the final stage of the first-ever visit by a member of the Japanese imperial household to the former USSR. "The visit of the Japanese Emperor shows that Lithuania - a small country which recently regained its independence - receives sincere attention and recognition by one of the most unique and advanced countries of the world," Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus characterized the visit. "The recognition by this nation is a great value for us," he added. Arriving in Vilnius at noon on a sunny, sultry late spring day, the 73-year-old emperor and his wife, the Empress Michiko, were welcomed to the country by the 80-year-old Adamkus in an official ceremony at the president's palace at the heart of Vilnius. On Thursday, the imperial couple visited Estonia, the northernmost of the Baltic states, and on Friday they visited Latvia. Their tour began in Sweden on Monday and is to end in Britain on Sunday.
