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Japan's Emperor and Empress to visit Mongolia in July
It has been formally decided that Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will make an official visit to Mongolia in July. Their itinerary includes a visit to a memorial for Japanese nationals who died there after World War Two.
The couple's trip to Mongolia for eight days from July 6 was decided at a Cabinet meeting on Friday.
It will be their first trip to Mongolia as Emperor and Empress. They are scheduled to depart from Tokyo's Haneda Airport in the morning and arrive at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital, in the afternoon.
The Emperor and Empress will attend a welcome ceremony on July 8 as state guests and meet with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife, Luvsandorj Bolortsetseg, in a ger, a traditional tent-like structure, designed to host special guests within government facilities. They will attend a banquet at a hotel in the capital in the evening.
The couple is also scheduled to pay their respects at a monument for Japanese nationals who died from hard labor and other causes after being detained by the former Soviet Union and sent to Mongolia shortly after World War Two.
The Emperor and Empress will also have opportunities to learn the history and culture of Mongolia and to interact with local people.
Toward the end of the trip, the couple is expected to attend the opening ceremony of Naadam, the national sports festival, and watch competitions in such events as archery and horse racing.
Their itinerary also includes a visit to a national park where a rare horse species roams a vast expanse of grassland.
