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| Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko - 2005 (Image: Wiki Commons) |
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will make a weeklong trip from Feb. 28 to Vietnam, their first visit to the Southeast Asian country, as well as Thailand, the government said Friday.
The emperor and empress aim to promote international goodwill in their visit to Vietnam, after which they will stop in Thailand to pay their respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last October, the government said.
It would be their first overseas trip since the 83-year-old emperor indicated his desire to abdicate in a video message broadcast last August that his age could one day prevent him from fulfilling his public duties.
In Vietnam, plans are being considered for the imperial couple to meet with top officials from the government and the ruling Communist Party, and lay flowers at the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the first president who is regarded as the country's founding father, in the capital Hanoi.
In Thailand, the emperor and empress, 82, could meet Thailand's new King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Read the full story at The Mainichi