Japanese Emperor, Empress May Visit Vietnam Next Spring

Tokyo, Sept. 14 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is arranging for Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to visit Vietnam as early as next spring, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday. It will be the first time for the Imperial couple to visit the Southeast Asian country. "Japan and Vietnam have steadily built up friendly bilateral relations," Suga told a press conference. "We have received many invitations from the Vietnamese government." The couple last visited a foreign country in January this year, when they made an official trip to the Philippines, according to the Imperial Household Agency. The itinerary of their upcoming trip has yet to be fixed, including whether they will visit cities other than Hanoi and which events they will attend. Then Vietnamese Presidents Nguyen Minh Triet and Truong Tan Sang came to Japan in 2007 and 2014, respectively. The two directly told the couple of their wish to invite them. Among other Imperial Family members, Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko, and Crown Prince Naruhito visited Vietnam, in 1999 and 2009, respectively, following invitations from the country. END