Like Felipe and Letizia in Spain, Naruhito and Masako from Japan went to meet their population affected by natural disasters. This December 17, the imperial couple visited the department of Ishikawa, in the center of the country, hard hit by an earthquake in January then by torrential rains in September. In total, more than fifty people lost their lives during the two events.
Departing from Tokyo, the couple was welcomed at Noto airport before heading to Wajima, the city hardest hit by the bad weather. There, Naruhito and Masako met flood victims, gathered in a college which served as emergency accommodation in September. The emperor and his wife then followed the mayor of the city on the roads still ravaged by water.
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Naruhito and Masako close to the victims
Faced with this landscape of desolation, the imperial couple bowed deeply, in tribute to the fifty people who lost their lives. Princess Aiko’s parents then boarded a bus to cross the city, greeting the people who had come in large numbers to cheer their sovereign. No mud throwing or invective like in Spain but only raised hands to greet the bus. Naruhito and Masako then took the plane back to Tokyo.
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