The Imperial Household Agency is considering visits by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa prefectures next year to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, it was learned Sunday.
During the possible visits, the emperor and empress would pay tribute to the war dead and meet with people involved in preserving the memory of the war, informed sources said.
Of the three prefectures, Nagasaki will host the National Cultural Festival next autumn. The event is one of the four major regional events attended by the emperor and empress each year.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered atomic bombings in the final days of the war, while Okinawa saw fierce ground battles during the war.
The imperial couple may also visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall, where the remains of victims of the Great Tokyo Air Raid are buried, the sources said.
In 1995, the 50th year since the end of the war, then-Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko made a "memorial tour" of the three prefectures and the Tokyo memorial hall. They visited Saipan in 2005, the 60th year, and Palau in 2015, the 70th year, to mourn the war dead.
At a news conference in June this year, Emperor Naruhito noted that he and his wife were born after the war and did not experience it. "I think it's important to deepen our understanding of the past history and foster a peace-loving spirit without forgetting those who died and those who were saddened by the war," he said.
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