Japan’s Emperor Naruhito on Saturday departed for Britain with Empress Masako, embarking on the first state visit to the country by a sitting emperor since his father Akihito’s in 1998.
The couple, bound for London, left Tokyo’s Haneda airport in a government plane in the morning. The official goodwill visit is their second overseas trip following a June 2023 visit to Indonesia after the emperor ascended the throne in May 2019.
During the weeklong tour, they will attend a luncheon with the royal family and a state banquet hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
Among other scheduled official events are a visit to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, also on Tuesday, and a formal dinner at the Guildhall in the City of London on Wednesday.
They are also expected to visit Windsor Castle to lay flowers on the graves of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on Thursday.
“I want to reflect on the history of exchanges between our country and Britain,” the emperor said in a press conference on June 19 ahead of the couple’s departure, adding he hopes the visit will “become an opportunity to further deepen friendly ties.”
The first emperor to be born after World War II, he lamented the fact that Japan and Britain were once adversaries, saying, “We must not forget those who suffered and died, and it is important we deepen our understanding of past history.”
Outside of the official events, the couple are to travel to the University of Oxford, where they both studied.
The emperor recalled the “warm hospitality” he received from the late queen and British royal household while he was studying, saying he was treated “like a part of the family.”
The empress, who has long battled a stress-induced illness, will not join every event with the emperor due to her health, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
Initial plans for an official visit to Britain in 2020 were canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak although they flew to the country in September 2022 to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.
The visit came after Britain extended an invitation to the imperial couple earlier this year to visit as state guests.
Preparations had been underway between the British and Japanese governments in consideration of the health conditions of the king and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Buckingham Palace said in February that the king had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment, while it revealed in March that Catherine was also undergoing cancer treatment.
BY: The Times Union / KYODO
