Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Miyagi Prefecture on April 27, marking the first time the imperial couple has visited the Tohoku region following the devastation brought by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Miyagi Prefecture on April 27, marking the first time the imperial couple has visited the Tohoku region following the devastation brought by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
The imperial couple had already visited evacuation centers in the Kanto region and consoled evacuees from the Tohoku region.
The imperial couple was flown from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to the Air Self-Defense Force's Matsushima base by SDF aircraft. They were greeted upon arrival by Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai and other local officials and were briefed on the damage from the twin disasters.
Grand Steward Shingo Haketa of the Imperial Household Agency, who accompanied the imperial couple, presented Murai with a donation to be used to help disaster victims.
The imperial couple visited Minami-Sanriku, which was devastated by the tsunami, and spoke with evacuees at an evacuation center. They later visited another evacuation center in Sendai.
Plans call for the imperial couple to visit Iwate Prefecture on May 2 and Fukushima Prefecture on May 11.