Emperor, Empress begin trip to Canada, Hawaii

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko embarked Friday on a 15-day visit to Canada and Hawaii to promote good will and friendship as well as to interact with people of Japanese ancestry there.

The couple's official visit to Canada, the first since the Emperor ascended the throne in 1989, will mark the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Canada. It is their first overseas trip since a European tour in May 2007 that covered Sweden, Britain and three Baltic states.

In Canada, the two will visit Ottawa, Toronto, Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, staying in the country until July 14. Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean will host a welcome ceremony and dinner for the couple in the capital.

The 75-year-old Emperor will be revisiting Canada for the first time since his trip in 1953, which was the first-ever overseas trip for the then 19-year-old Crown Prince. On that initial visit, he traveled from Vancouver to Ottawa by transcontinental train on his way to Britain, where he attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

On their way back to Japan, the Emperor and Empress will stop off in Hawaii for their first visit to the U.S. state in 15 years to attend a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation.

The program was set up in 1959 on the occasion of their marriage, with funds from Japanese-Americans in Hawaii as well as the Imperial Household Agency and businesses.

The couple's itinerary does not include a visit to Pearl Harbor, the scene of Japan's surprise attack in 1941 that brought the U.S. into World War II. The Emperor visited the site in 1960 when he was Crown Prince. The two will offer flowers at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl.