The imperial couple arrived in Ehime Prefecture on Saturday to meet people affected by storms.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako reached Ehime Prefecture aboard a special flight from Haneda Airport earlier on Saturday.
The visit focused on meeting residents impacted by recent storms in the area including Ozu.
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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi left South Korea on Wednesday after a two-day visit to Andong, the hometown of President Lee Jae Myung, where the two leaders held a bilateral summit and agreed to boost cooperation on supply chains and energy supplies.
Japan's Imperial couple, along with Princess Aiko, have postponed a visit to Tohoku due to cold symptoms. The trip was planned to inspect recovery efforts in areas hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
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Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and their daughter Princess Aiko will visit Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures in Tohoku to mark 15 years since the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The Imperial Household Agency announced the trip on February 26, 2026, with visits to Iwate and Miyagi on March 25-26 and Fukushima on April 6-7 to inspect reconstruction progress and meet affected residents. This will be Princess Aiko's first visit to the three prefectures.
A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture at 8:22 p.m. on May 15, right after an emergency warning was issued for the Tohoku region.
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Fifteen years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, yet the government's goal of reducing indirect disaster-related deaths to zero remains unachieved. The earthquake and tsunami continue to impact regions like Tohoku and Fukushima.