Imperial family to visit Nagasaki atomic bomb site in September
The visit from Sept. 12 will be the imperial couple's first to the atomic-bombed city since the emperor acceded to the throne in 2019, and the 23-year-old princess' first-ever.
The family will offer flowers at a cenotaph for atomic bomb victims at ground zero in the Nagasaki Peace Park and visit the adjacent Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.
They will also meet with survivors and storytellers about the atomic bombing and residents of a nursing home for atomic bomb survivors during the trip.
Emperor Naruhito last laid flowers at the park in 2009 when he was the crown prince. Empress Masako last accompanied him offering flowers there in 1996.
The emperor and empress visited Iwoto Island, formerly known as Iwojima, the site of a fierce World War II battle between Japan and the United States in the Pacific, in April.
The couple also paid their respects to the war dead on the island of Okinawa, which saw a fierce ground battle, and to atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima, both in June.
Princess Aiko will return to Tokyo on Sept. 13, while the imperial couple will travel from Nagasaki to Sasebo, also in Nagasaki Prefecture, to attend the opening ceremony of the National Cultural Festival the following day, the agency said.
© KYODO
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