Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Fukuoka on Friday to console people affected by torrential rain that hit the southwestern Japan prefecture and its vicinity in July.The imperial couple were originally scheduled to visit Fukuoka for three days from Saturday to attend a ceremony for the national convention on maritime resources. But reflecting their concern about the damage caused by the disaster, the trip was extended to four days to allow them to visit the affected areas, according to the Imperial Household Agency.After arriving in Fukuoka by plane, the emperor, 83, and empress, …READ FULL ARTICLE
