The Emperor and the president talked about sports, as well as the two countries' relations, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

Macri, who served as chairman of the Argentine soccer club Boca Juniors between 1995 and 2007, asked the Emperor about his favorite sport. The Emperor answered he likes tennis, adding that he prefers strokes to net play in tennis matches.

In the afternoon, Emperor Akihito attended the award ceremony for the Pritzker Architecture Prize at the Akasaka Palace of the State Guest House in Tokyo's Minato Ward.

It was the first time in 28 years that the ceremony for the US architecture award has been held in Japan.

This year, Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta, all from Spain, were awarded the prize, which is called the Nobel Prize in architecture.

Emperor Akihito congratulated the three architects on winning the prize.

The Emperor had canceled official duties since Monday, due to cold symptoms including coughs and fever. He began to recover on Tuesday and performed the regular duty of signing documents from the cabinet on Friday. (Jiji Press)