Japan Emperor, Family Visit Education Facility in Fukushima

Okuma, Fukushima Pref., April 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, on Tuesday visited an educational facility in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima, which was affected by a powerful earthquake and tsunami 15 years ago. The facility, “Manabiya Yumenomori,” in the town of Okuma functions as an integrated elementary and junior high school and a certified “kodomoen” kindergarten-nursery hybrid. Okuma is one of the two municipalities hosting Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, which was severely damaged in the March 2011 disaster. Following the nuclear accident, two elementary schools and a junior high school in Okuma were relocated to the city of Aizuwakamatsu in the prefecture. The schools were then integrated and return to the town in 2023. The Imperial couple and Princess Aiko watched elementary and junior high school classes at Manabiya Yumenomori. A female junior high school student said that she wants to become a pastry chef, and Empress Masako asked her what kind of bright town she wants to make. At the school, the family spoke with three people who were affected by the disaster. One of them, Shigeo Tsuchiya, 77, a former security personnel at the nuclear power plant, said he was at an emergency response room of the plant when the quake struck. Emperor Naruhito told him, “That must have been tough.” Princess Aiko asked Tsuchiya how far he was from the plant’s No. 1 reactor, which sustained heavy damage from the tsunami. The family then visited a “michi no eki” roadside rest area in the town of Namie in the prefecture. They listened to a briefing about “Oborisomayaki” traditional pottery and the revitalization of the local sake industry. The Emperor asked, “What about successors?” Earlier on Tuesday, the family visited a facility commemorating the March 2011 disaster in the town of Tomioka in the prefecture. The Historical Archive Museum of Tomioka houses permanent exhibits of items damaged in the quake and tsunami that mainly struck the Tohoku northeastern region. Among the exhibits is a police car that was engulfed by the tsunami while officers were guiding residents to evacuate. One of the two police officers who were in the car at the time of the disaster was confirmed dead while the other remains unaccounted for. The Imperial couple and the princess viewed the exhibits with solemn expressions, with Empress Masako saying, “It is painful.” They also passed through an area known for cherry blossom trees in a car. On Monday, the family visited the town of Futaba, the other host municipality of the Fukushima No. 1 plant. This was the first time since the disaster that members of the Imperial Family have visited either of the municipalities hosting the Fukushima No. 1 plant. It was also the first visit to Fukushima by Princess Aiko. The family returned to Tokyo on Tuesday evening by Shinkansen bullet train, concluding their two-day visit to Fukushima. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]