Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday to meet with people affected by a powerful earthquake in July, according to a plan approved by the government at a Cabinet meeting Friday. In their one-day trip, the imperial couple will visit areas in the cities of Yatsushiro and Uki and the town of Hikawa, which were hit hard by the July 28 quake. According to the Imperial Household Agency, the emperor and the empress will arrive at Kumamoto Airport on a special flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday morning.
After receiving a briefing from Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura on the earthquake damage, they are scheduled to fly to Yatsushiro aboard a Self-Defense Forces helicopter in the afternoon. They are expected to meet with people affected by the disaster and those involved in relief efforts.
The emperor and the empress will later travel by car to Hikawa and Uki, where they will inspect the areas hit by the disaster and interact with local residents before returning to Tokyo on a special flight. The visit will be postponed to Wednesday in the event of inclement weather. The emperor and the empress had expressed their intention to visit the areas hit by the July quake and meet with local residents, concerned that the prefecture was hit by another earthquake while reconstruction efforts were under way after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, according to an aide.
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