Imperial couple to visit quake-hit Kumamoto next Tues.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will make a one-day trip to Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan next week to visit areas de
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are set to embark on a one-day visit to Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan next week, according to the Imperial Household Agency. The royal couple will travel from Tokyo on Tuesday morning and receive a briefing from Governor Takashi Kimura upon arrival in the region. Their itinerary includes stops in Yatsushiro, Hikawa, and Uki, the areas most severely affected by the July 28 magnitude-7.1 earthquake.
This will be the sixth time the imperial couple has directly expressed their condolences to those impacted by disasters, either personally or through online interactions. Their last visit was to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture in December 2024, following severe flooding. The earthquake of July 28 resulted in 38 deaths, encompassing both immediate and indirect casualties.
The Imperial Household Agency initially planned a two-day visit for the end of September, to assess reconstruction progress a decade after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, but adjusted the schedule in light of the recent disaster.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
