Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Japanese Princess Akiko of Mikasa at the historic Yıldız Palace in Istanbul on Sunday.

The meeting between the president and the princess lasted for one-and-half hours and was closed to the press.

Akiko is visiting Turkey to attend an event organized by the Prince Mikasa Foundation at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum.

She is expected to be in the country until Friday, the Japanese Embassy in Turkey said Friday.

In its statement, the embassy said Akiko will visit capital Ankara, Istanbul and the central Anatolian province of Kırşehir.