The Emperor and Empress left Saturday for an official visit to the Netherlands and Sweden, as well as unofficial trips to Switzerland and Finland.
The Imperial Couple will first arrive in Geneva before going to Amsterdam on May 23, and will move on to Finland on May 26 before traveling to Sweden two days later, according to the Imperial Household Agency. The couple will return to Japan on June 1.
The Emperor will be paying his first official visit to the Netherlands, with which Japan is celebrating 400 years of ties this year.