Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will hold meetings with Vietnamese women that Japanese soldiers married during the war and the children they had starting from Feb. 28, the government said Friday.
The Imperial Couple plan to embark on a weeklong international goodwill tour that will also take them to Thailand to mourn the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The meetings planned with the soldiers' Vietnamese wives and children in Hanoi on March 2 reflect the 83-year-old Emperor's hopes for peace. His travels to World War II battlegrounds include one he made to the Philippines last year to mourn those who fell during the war.