Emperor, Empress Visit Fishing Port in Fukushima

June 12, 2018

Soma, Fukushima Pref.- Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Matsukawaura fishing port in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Monday to take a look at the postdisaster recovery in the area's fishing industry.

On the final day of the Imperial couple's three-day trip to the northeastern Japan prefecture, the Empress accompanied the Emperor on the visit to the port devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, despite a fever since Sunday night.

At the rebuilt Soma Haragama wholesale market, the Imperial couple watched workers sorting marine products.

Coastal fishing operations in Fukushima was resumed in June 2012 after a halt in the wake of the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the 9.0-magnitude quake and monster tsunami. But the operations have been only on a test basis.

Looking at sorted fish such as flounder and Japanese sea perch, the Emperor asked a worker, "Which one tastes best?" He also made questions to other workers.

Meanwhile, the Empress offered kind words to women working at the market, saying: "You must have had a difficult time at the time of the disaster. You worked very hard."

The Imperial couple bought some righteye flounder and surf clam, both caught off Soma, after the market tour.

At the port, the Emperor and Empress met bereaved family members of volunteer fire corps members who lost their lives in tsunami while helping residents of the Isobe district in Soma and other areas evacuate after the earthquake.

The couple consoled Asako Kanno, 77, who lost her 45-year-old son, holding her hands as she has limited vision.

The Emperor said to a tearful Kanno, "Please take good care of yourself." The Empress said, "You son must have guided lots of people for the evacuation."

The Emperor and Empress returned to Tokyo on a Shinkansen bullet train after visiting the memorial hall for late local composer Yuji Koseki in the city of Fukushima. Jiji Press