Imperial couple, Princess Aiko to visit Tohoku disaster areas

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and their daughter Princess Aiko plan to visit Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures in Tohoku during March and April—15 years after the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami rocked the region, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

Visit Details

The imperial family will depart Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on March 25 for Iwate, where they will lay wreaths at a memorial in Otsuchi and meet survivors in Ofunato. The next day, they head to Miyagi to tour a Great East Japan Earthquake museum in Minamisanriku and a disaster park in Ishinomaki. After a brief return to Tokyo, they will travel by bullet train to Fukushima on April 6.

Fukushima Itinerary

In Fukushima, the family will pay respects at a museum in Futaba honoring the earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. They will overnight at J-Village in Naraha and Hirono, then visit Tomioka, Okuma, and Namie the following day. This marks Emperor Naruhito’s first trip to these areas since ascending the throne.

Background and Significance

The emperor, reflecting last month before his February 23 birthday, emphasized the disaster’s enduring toll, vowing to stand with affected communities regardless of time passed. The imperial couple had made multiple prior visits as crown prince and princess.