This combined photo shows Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. (Kyodo)
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit Hiroshima next month to honor the war dead ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, marking their first trip to the atomic-bombed city since his accession in 2019, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday.
After arriving from Tokyo’s Haneda airport on June 19, the imperial couple will offer flowers and a silent prayer at a cenotaph for atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, before viewing an exhibition on building remnants and hearing testimonies from survivors at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the agency said.
The following day, they will meet with residents of a nursing home for atomic bomb survivors and observe the reconstruction progress from a landslide in August 2014.
Emperor Naruhito last visited the cenotaph in October 2006 when he was still crown prince, while Empress Masako last joined him around 25 years ago in November 2000.
As part of memorial visits to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, the emperor and empress last month visited Iwoto Island, formerly known as Iwojima, the site of a fierce battle in the Pacific between Japan and the United States, to mourn the war dead.
The couple is also set to make a trip to Okinawa early next month with their daughter, Princess Aiko, while a visit to Nagasaki is scheduled for September.
AloJapan.com