Japan Emperor, Empress Start Tour of Hokkaido

August 3, 2018

Chitose, Hokkaido- Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko arrived at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido on Friday, kicking off their three-day visit to the northernmost Japan prefecture.

On Saturday, the couple will make their first-ever visit to the island of Rishiri, located near the northernmost point of Japan.

In Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, on Sunday, the Emperor and the Empress will attend a ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the prefecture being named Hokkaido. They will return to Tokyo later on Sunday.

This is the Emperor's first visit to Hokkaido since September 2011 and the ninth since his enthronement in 1989. His Hokkaido visit with the Empress is the first since June 2007 and the eighth since the enthronement.

The ongoing trip will probably be their last to Hokkaido before the Emperor's abdication on April 30, 2019. Jiji Press