Japan's Emperor, Empress set to begin visit to Mongolia
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are scheduled to depart Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Sunday morning aboard a government plane. They will arrive at the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar in the afternoon.
On Tuesday, they will attend a welcome ceremony as state guests and meet with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife in a ger, a traditional tent-like structure set up within government facilities to host special guests. They will attend a banquet at their hotel in the evening.
In the afternoon, the couple will pay their respects at a monument for Japanese nationals who died from hard labor and other causes after being detained by the former Soviet Union and sent to Mongolia shortly after World War Two. This year marks 80 years since the end of the war.
The Emperor and Empress will also have opportunities to learn the history and culture of Mongolia and to interact with local people during their stay until July 13.
Toward the end of the trip, they are expected to attend the opening ceremony of a national sports festival called Naadam, and watch competitions in such events as archery and horse racing.
Their itinerary also includes a visit to a national park with a vast expanse of grassland, which is a sanctuary for a rare species of horses.
This will be the Imperial couple's fourth official overseas trip since the Emperor's accession to the throne, following their visit to Britain last year. They will also be the first-ever Japanese Emperor and Empress to visit Mongolia.
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