Imperial Couple To Attend Downsized 3/11 Memorial
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are scheduled to attend a downsized memorial ceremony for victims of a disaster that struck the country's northeastern and eastern regions on March 11, 2011.
The government decided in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the memorial for the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake will be held at the National Theatre in Tokyo on the afternoon of March 11. The Emperor is scheduled to deliver an address.
Last year, the event was canceled due to the spread of the coronavirus, and a flower offering ceremony was held at the Prime Minister's Office instead.
Until 2019, about 1,500 people have been invited to the event annually, but the number this year has been reduced to 220.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide will head the executive committee of the ceremony this year.
The heads of both chambers of the Diet, all Cabinet members, and representatives of victims from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures will be among the attendees.
Members of the public will not be offering flowers.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that the government policy is to hold an annual memorial ceremony for 10 years after the disaster. He said the government believes 10 years is a milestone and that as for the next fiscal year onward, it will consider the circumstances in deciding what to do.