On the morning of April 6, Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko departed from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for a two-day visit to Fukushima Prefecture.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake which brought powerful earthquakes, devastating tsunami and a major nuclear disaster to the prefecture.

Upon arrival at JR Fukushima Station on a special shinkansen bullet train, the imperial family was greeted by Fukushima Governor Uchibori Masao and other officials.

The emperor and his family are visiting Fukushima to observe how reconstruction efforts have progressed in affected areas.

Their itinerary includes stops in the towns of Futaba, Tomioka, Okuma and Namie, parts of which remain designated as zones where it is difficult for residents to return to.

After receiving a briefing at the Fukushima prefectural government office concerning recovery work, they are scheduled to travel to various locations to offer flowers to victims, view exhibits concerning the triple disasters of 2011 and meet with survivors.

This is the first time since Naruhito's accession in 2019 that the imperial couple have visited one of the three hardest-hit prefectures in the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan with the main purpose of inspecting the state of reconstruction.

For the first time since the disasters, they will set foot in Futaba and Okuma, where the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is being decommissioned.

Princess Aiko is making her first trip to any of the three prefectures, which also include Miyagi and Iwate.