Crown Prince Akishino and Prince Hisahito visit Kesennuma disaster sites

Crown Prince Akishino and Prince Hisahito visited Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture to mark the 15th anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. This visit marked Prince Hisahito’s first trip to an area devastated by the disaster.

On Sunday, the pair toured the Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake Kesennuma City Memorial Museum, which preserves the damaged former building of Kesennuma Koyo High School. During the tour, they listened to local high school students acting as disaster storytellers and observed the remains of the school, including a car that had been swept into a third-floor classroom.

On Monday, the royals visited the Kesennuma fish market, wearing caps and rubber boots. They observed the landing and sorting of bonito and discussed the region's recovery efforts and land subsidence issues with local officials.