Emperor Naruhito said that Britain's royals have treated him "like family," as he recounted previous trips during a rare news conference on Wednesday ahead of a state visit to the United Kingdom.
But the emperor, who will travel with Empress Masako, declined to comment when questioned on the thorny issue of male-only succession rules.
The emperor recalled that during his two years as a student at Oxford University in the 1980s, he was invited to Balmoral Castle in Scotland for a few days.