◆Recent Activities of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan
His Majesty the Emperor celebrated His 80th birthday in December 2013, and Her Majesty the Empress celebrated Her 80th birthday in October 2014.
As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Their Majesties have again visited places in Japan that suffered great damage in the war, offering flowers and paying Their respects at cenotaphs honouring the war victims and comforting the survivors and bereaved families. In June 2014, on the 70th anniversary of the tragic Tsushima Maru incident, Their Majesties visited Okinawa prefecture to pay Their respects at the memorial for the more than 1,400 people, including some 800 schoolchildren, who perished in the sinking of the evacuation ship Tsushima Maru in August 1944. After Okinawa, Their Majesties visited Nagasaki and Hiroshima, cities which suffered atomic bombings, and paid Their respects at the cenotaphs and visited the nursing care homes for the atomic bomb survivors. After Their return from Palau, Their Majesties plan to pay Their respects at the memorial for the victims of the Tokyo Air Raid, in which over 800,000 people died.
When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011, His Majesty the Emperor gave a televised address to the nation, offering words of comfort to the people in the afflicted areas, expressing appreciation to all those involved in relief and restoration efforts, and asking every single person in Japan to continue to think of the victims and their hardships as their own. After the disaster, Their Majesties visited evacuation centers seven weeks in a row to comfort the victims, conveying their sympathies to those who had to evacuate and live far away from home. Their Majesties have continued to follow up on the situation after 2011 by visiting the afflicted areas every year, meeting those affected by the disaster and observing the status of the reconstruction efforts. Their Majesties attend the Memorial Service held by the government every year to mourn and pay tribute to the victims and to express Their condolences to the bereaved families. In His address at the Service, His Majesty always says that it is important that everyone’s hearts continue to be with the afflicted.
Japan is a country prone to natural disasters, and recent instances of heavy rains, heavy snowfalls and volcanic eruptions have resulted in many casualties. In each case, Their Majesties have visited the afflicted areas, meeting with those affected by the disasters and the families who lost their loved ones, and expressing Their appreciation to those involved in relief and restoration efforts.
Their Majesties have visited care facilities for the elderly, the children, and the disabled every year. They have also visited almost all of the 14 sanatoriums for Hansen’s disease patients in Japan and have met with the patients in all those facilities.
When His Excellency the President of the Republic of Palau visited Japan as the guest of the government, His Majesty the Emperor met with him at the Imperial Palace. When he visited Japan on the occasion of the Pacific Islands Leaders’ Meeting, Their Majesties invited him to tea at the Imperial Palace together with other heads of state. More recently, when His Excellency President Tommy E. Remengesau visited Japan in December 2014, His Majesty the Emperor met with him, and Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress hosted a luncheon for him, both at the Imperial Residence.
©Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Palau
P.O. Box 6050 Koror, Republic of Palau 96940