Japan Imperial Family Visit Fukushima Archive Museum as Part of Trip Marking 15th Anniversary of 2011 Disaster

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:06 JST, April 7, 2026

TOMIOKA, Fukushima — The Emperor and Empress and their daughter Princess Aiko on Tuesday visited the Historical Archive Museum of Tomioka in Fukushima Prefecture, a facility dedicated to conveying the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The Imperial family visited Fukushima Prefecture to mark the 15th anniversary of the disaster.

Approximately 430 items are displayed at the museum, including a patrol car swept away by the tsunami while guiding residents to safety and a clock from a beauty salon that stopped at the exact time the disaster struck.

The Imperial couple and Princess Aiko arrived by car at about 10:00 a.m. and waved to gathered local residents. They then toured the museum while listening to the director’s explanation.

Standing in front of the patrol car exhibit, the Empress remarked, “It’s heartbreaking.”

The Emperor and Empress released a statement describing their impressions of the first day of their visit through their aides on Monday evening. They noted that they had reaffirmed the scale of the damage and the lessons learned from the multiple tragedies of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident.

“We have once again deeply engraved in our hearts the feelings of the people of Fukushima who have overcome these hardships, and we are renewed in our conviction regarding the importance of passing on the memories and lessons of this disaster,” they wrote. Regarding Princess Aiko’s first visit to Fukushima Prefecture, the Emperor and Empress expressed the view that it would be “a valuable opportunity for her to hear directly from people affected by the disaster and people leading the recovery efforts.”