On the occasion of her 59th birthday Friday, Empress Masako reflected on having spent exactly half of her life in the imperial family after marrying Emperor Naruhito in June 1993, saying she felt "deeply moved" by her years as a member of the family.
"I have gone through many times of joy, as well as times of sorrow. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the emperor and many others who have supported and watched over me every step of the way," the empress said in a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency.
In October, the imperial couple visited Okinawa for the first time since the emperor's ascension to the chrysanthemum throne in 2019 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the southern island prefecture's reversion to Japan from U.S. rule.