Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the opening ceremony of national cultural festivals in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Sunday.
In his address at the ceremony to mark the opening of the 40th National Cultural Festival and the 25th National Arts and Culture Festival for Persons with Disabilities, the emperor stressed the significance of holding the events this year, which marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "I hope the events will lead to the vitality needed to create new culture," he said.
The imperial couple later interacted with those who appeared in the opening ceremony.
Kenshiro Takada, a 17-year-old high school student from the town of Nagayo in Nagasaki who is a third-generation hibakusha atomic bomb survivor, read a message about peace in the ceremony. He told the imperial couple about his activities as a peace messenger. The emperor asked him, "What is it like to talk about peace to children?" The empress inquired, "What do you hope to do in the future?"
Earlier in the day, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako observed rehearsals for a dance performance by local elementary, junior high and high school students to be presented at the National Cultural Festival.
On Saturday, the emperor, the empress and their daughter, Princess Aiko, visited a special elderly nursing home for hibakusha in the city of Nagasaki.
This was the first visit to the facility by the emperor since 2003 and the first ever by the empress and the princess. The imperial couple and the princess bent down to meet the eyes of eight residents age 82 to 98 while speaking with them.
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