Crown Prince Fumihito attended an award ceremony for the Japan Water Grand Prize on June 18.

The award acknowledges organizations that work on the health of the water cycle and environmental conservation and disaster prevention in the field of water.

Crown Prince Fumihito made remarks at the event as the honorary president of the Japan River Association, which hosted the event.

Crown Prince Fumihito / We must be grateful for the benefits we receive from water. We must pass on to the future generations a land and nature that is safe, secure based on a healthy water cycle system.

After the ceremony, Crown Prince Fumihito had a chat with former students who were devoted to coral preservation activities for 12 years.

He asked them how the corals were and encouraged them to keep up with the “good research.”