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4 clusters · 7 sources · 15 days · First seen · Last updated

Imperial visits to Kumamoto earthquake victims

Overview

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako completed their visit to Kumamoto Prefecture on September 30, 2026, to offer condolences to those affected by the powerful earthquake that struck in late July. The trip, which was delayed from September 29 due to poor weather, included stops in Yatsushiro, Hikawa, and Uki.

In Yatsushiro, the Imperial couple visited an evacuation shelter to speak with residents and offered sympathies regarding their experiences. They also visited the Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro plant, where a chimney collapse caused nine deaths, and the Aeon Mall Kumamoto facility, where an explosion killed seven people.

While traveling through Hikawa and Uki, the Emperor and Empress interacted with local residents and children, providing comfort with words such as, “You must have been very scared.” To show solidarity with the disaster-stricken area, the Imperial couple wore ‘Kumamon’ character pins, a gesture inspired by the local governor.

This visit serves as a gesture of support for reconstruction efforts in a region still recovering from the massive 2016 earthquakes.

Entities

Naruhito · Kumamoto Prefecture · Emperor Naruhito · Masako · Takashi Kimura

Timeline

  1. [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Japanese Emperor and Empress send relief to typhoon-hit prefectures

    The Emperor and Empress of Japan have sent relief funds to Chiba and Kanagawa following Typhoon 25 and recently visited Kumamoto to support earthquake survivors.

  2. [POLITICS] 4 sources
    Emperor and Empress visit Kumamoto earthquake victims

    Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited earthquake-stricken areas in Kumamoto Prefecture to comfort survivors and inspect damage following the powerful July earthquake.

  3. [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to visit Kumamoto earthquake victims

    Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit Kumamoto Prefecture on September 29 to meet with victims of the July earthquake and inspect disaster-affected areas.

  4. [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visit Ghibli Park

    Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture, where they toured film recreations and met with children and characters from Studio Ghibli animations.

Sources

adnKronos.com · fnn.jp · histoiresroyales.fr · jisin.jp · news.cube-soft.jp · nishinippon.co.jp · soranews24.com

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history