Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are planning to visit in late October the Kyushu region, which had recently been battered by torrential rain, to offer encouragement to residents recovering from the disaster, sources affiliated with the Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday.
They are also considering visiting small islands in the region in mid-November, the sources said. The Emperor had previously expressed the intention to visit people living on remote islands and play his constitutional role as the symbol of the state.
The tight travel schedule has been arranged to reflect the Imperial couple's strong desire to visit those areas ahead of the Emperor's abdication that could take place as early as in December 2018, the sources said.