Japan's imperial couple leaves for Britain as state guests

Japan's Emperor Naruhito on June 22 departed for Britain with Empress Masako, embarking on the first state visit to the country by a sitting emperor since his father Akihito's in 1998.

During the weeklong tour, they will attend a luncheon with the royal family and a state banquet hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace, Kyodo reports.

Among other scheduled official events are a visit to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, and a formal dinner at the Guildhall in the City of London.

They are also expected to visit Windsor Castle to lay flowers on the graves of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Outside of the official events, the couple are to travel to the University of Oxford, where they both studied.

Initial plans for an official visit to Britain in 2020 were canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak although they flew to the country in September 2022 to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.

The visit came after Britain extended an invitation to the imperial couple earlier this year to visit as state guests.