Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko visited the Ohinata settlement in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on Saturday during their summer break in the resort town.
The former emperor and former empress have frequently visited the settlement, developed by people who returned to Japan from Manchuria in northeastern China after World War II.
The couple arrived at the settlement by car after 10:30 a.m. and stopped at a monument commemorating the trip to the site in 1947 by Emperor Hirohito, posthumously Emperor Showa, during his postwar tour across Japan.
The emperor emeritus and empress emerita later strolled hand in hand through a cabbage field at the foot of Mount Asama.
The emperor emeritus, who continues to receive treatment for chronic heart failure, walked steadily. While checking the growth of the cabbages, he said to the empress emerita with a smile, "They seem to be growing well."
The couple have long sympathized with the hardships faced by the settlers and have visited the settlement several times since their days as crown prince and crown princess.
With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, they also reflected on the history of the settlement, according to their close aides. They are scheduled to stay in Karuizawa until Friday.
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