Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited an orphanage Wednesday in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, that was established in 1948 for children whose mothers were Japanese and fathers were U.S. servicemen.
The Elizabeth Saunders Home was set up by the late Miki Sawada, a granddaughter of Yataro Iwasaki, who founded the Mitsubishi conglomerate.
There are 95 orphans, aged between 3 and 18, now living in the home. The Emperor and Empress were given a warm welcome before visiting several facilities, including a school, a dormitory and a museum dedicated to Sawada.
Sawada named the orphanage after the late Elizabeth Saunders, a longtime British resident of Japan who contributed her savings toward its establishment.