KUMAMOTO, Japan - Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Wednesday visited Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan and met with local people two months after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit the region.
Following an explanation by Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura on the situation in the quake-hit area, they visited a civic hall in Yatsushiro, where 20 people lost their lives, and met with some of the evacuees there.
Their one-day trip, initially planned for Tuesday, was postponed due to poor weather in the region.
The July 28 earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture left 38 people dead, including both direct and disaster-related fatalities. Around 1,400 people remain in evacuation shelters.
It will be the sixth time that the couple have offered their sympathies to people in disaster-hit areas, either in person or online, since Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne in 2019.
It will be their first such visit since they traveled to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in December 2024, after a rain disaster.
