Emperor, empress likely to visit Vietnam in early March

TOKYO —

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are planning to make their first visit to Vietnam in early March, according to a source close to the Imperial Household Agency.
The trip, aimed at promoting goodwill, is being arranged as the imperial couple has often received invitations from Vietnamese leaders when they have visited Japan, the source said.
It would be the couple’s first overseas trip since January 2016 when they traveled to the Philippines to visit the site of one of the fiercest battlefields where Japanese soldiers fought during World War II. They paid respects to all the fallen, including Filipinos, as part of their mission of promoting international friendship.
The 83-year-old emperor and the 82-year-old empress are expected to attend public events in Hanoi. The trip could last five days as they will also travel to Hue, central Vietnam, the source said.
Preparations for the visit are underway at a time when a government advisory panel has been studying the feasibility of the emperor’s abdication following his unprecedented video message televised nationwide last August in which he expressed concerns that his advanced age could one day prevent him from fulfilling his public duties.
Shortly after the envisioned trip, the couple may attend a government-sponsored memorial ceremony marking the sixth anniversary of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan on March 11. They have visited the area on several occasions in the past to encourage people affected by the disaster.
Other events the couple have routinely participated in include a tree-planting ceremony to be held in Toyama Prefecture in May, the National Sports Festival to be held from late September to early October in Ehime Prefecture, as well as a national event promoting conservation of the maritime environment in October in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Crown Prince Naruhito, 56, is expected to attend the opening ceremony of 2017 Asian Winter Games to be held in February in Hokkaido on behalf of the emperor.
His wife Crown Princess Masako, 53, who has been receiving treatment for a stress-induced illness for over a decade, has shown signs of recovery lately, performing official duties more often than before in 2016.
Among other overseas trips planned by imperial family members is one to Bhutan in June by Princess Mako, a 25-year-old granddaughter of the emperor and empress. She is the elder daughter of Prince Akishino, the emperor’s second son, and his wife Princess Kiko.
Mako’s younger sister Princess Kako, 22, is also expected to perform public duties in Japan while prioritizing her school work as a student of the International Christian University in Tokyo.