Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit Britain as state guests in late June, marking the first state visit by a sitting emperor since his father Akihito's in 1998.
Emperor Naruhito, on the occasion of his 64th birthday, mourns the lives lost in a powerful earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day and extended his sympathy to the people displaced.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito, in a poem recited at the annual Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading on Jan. 19, reflected fondly on the warm welcome he and his wife Empress Masako have always received during official visits across Japan.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito in his New Year address expresses hope that people will continue to support each other with compassion in the coming year, while noting how the world has been grappling with ongoing conflicts and natural disasters.
Japan's former Emperor Akihito turns 90, after having spent another peaceful year with his wife, former Empress Michiko while continuing to reflect on war and peace and those impacted by natural disasters, according to the Imperial Household Agency.