Emperor and Empress visit Kumamoto earthquake victims

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Kumamoto Prefecture on September 30 to offer condolences to those affected by a powerful earthquake that struck the region in late July. The visit, which was originally postponed from the previous day due to bad weather, included stops in Yatsushiro, Hikawa, and Uki.

During the tour, the Imperial couple visited a shelter in Yatsushiro to speak with evacuees and offered sympathies regarding their experiences. They also visited the Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro plant, where a chimney collapse during the quake resulted in nine deaths, and the Aeon Mall Kumamoto facility, where an explosion killed seven people.

In Hikawa and Uki, the Emperor and Empress interacted with local residents and children, offering words of comfort such as, “You must have been very scared.” The visit serves as a gesture of support for reconstruction efforts in a region still recovering from the massive 2016 earthquakes.