Hidden princess attends banquet

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

King Willem Alexander, left, and Queen Maxima, second from left, of the Netherlands are escorted by Japan's Emperor Akihito, third from left, and Empress Michiko, as Crown Princess Masako, right, follows behind, during a welcome ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014. (AP Poto/Issei Kato, Pool)

Japan's Crown Princess Masako attended a banquet for the visiting Dutch royals on Wednesday in her first such appearance since developing a stress-related illness.

The Imperial Household Agency said Masako accompanied her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, at an imperial banquet for visiting King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. Palace officials said it was her first appearance at an imperial banquet since she attended one for the Mexican president in October 2003.

Masako, 50, became ill soon after giving birth to the couple's daughter, Aiko, now 12, and largely withdrew from official duties. In a sign of her recovery, the royals last year attended the king's inauguration in the Netherlands, where they have close ties.

The princess, in a silky white formal dress and a silver tiara, was full of smiles talking with the king over French food at the banquet, part of which was shown on television news. About 160 guests, including other royals and political leaders like Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also attended.

Earlier Wednesday, Masako was at a welcoming ceremony for the king that was hosted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Masako was seen greeting Queen Maxima, both women wearing hues of orange, the Dutch national colour.

Akihito, in his banquet-opening speech, touched on Japan's aggression during World War II in the Dutch-occupied Indonesia, where many soldiers and civilians from the Netherlands were taken prisoners.

"It was truly unfortunate that the friendship between the two countries had been lost" because of the war, Akihito said. "We will never erase this from our memory, and will devote ourselves to further promote our friendship."

Willem-Alexander said the Dutch people's ordeal should not be forgotten, but understanding of each other's pains is the foundation of reconciliation.