Japan imperial couple to embark on historic visit to Mongolia in July
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are scheduled to make a state visit to Mongolia from July 6 to 13 in what will be the first such trip by a Japanese emperor, according to a plan approved by the government on Friday.
During the trip, the emperor and empress will lay flowers at a memorial on July 8 to commemorate Japanese nationals who died while in internment camps there after World War II.
The Soviet military transferred around 14,000 Japanese detainees from Siberia to Mongolia following the war, and more than 1,700 died. The Japanese government later established the memorial near Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar.
On the same day, the imperial couple is expected to meet with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife after attending a welcome ceremony. They will then participate in a banquet hosted by the Mongolian leader that night.
The itinerary also includes their attendance at the opening ceremony of Naadam, Mongolia's largest annual festival, on July 11.
It will be the imperial couple's first overseas goodwill visit since they traveled to Britain in June last year.
The empress, who has long battled a stress-induced illness, may not attend every event out of consideration for her health, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
The couple will depart from Tokyo's Haneda airport by a government plane on July 6, bound for Ulaanbaatar.
The Mongolian president and his wife extended an invitation to the Japanese imperial couple during a trip to Japan in November 2022, according to the agency.
The emperor previously traveled to Mongolia as crown prince in 2007, when he paid respects at the monument.
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