Imperial Couple’s First State Visit Will Be to Britain
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Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have been invited by Queen Elizabeth II to make a state visit to Britain in spring 2020. This will be the imperial couple’s first overseas visit since the succession last year. After graduating from Gakushūin University, the emperor studied at Oxford University from 1983 to 1985, and the empress also studied at Oxford from 1988 to 1990 while working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which sponsored her. More recently in 2018, their daughter Princess Aiko participated in a summer high school program at Eton College, so the imperial family has a close connection with Britain.
The former Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun visited Britain in 1971, while Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko visited in 1998 and again in 2012. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were welcomed as state guests to Japan in 1975. In 1986, Prince Charles and Princess Diana also made an official visit to Japan, sparking a “Diana boom.”
This will be the first time in five years that the imperial couple has made an overseas visit; the last being when they attended the coronation of King Tupou VI of Tonga in 2015.
Main Overseas Visits by Naruhito as Crown Prince
| September 1989 | Belgium | Europalia 89 Japan opening ceremony |
| August 1990 | Belgium | International Economic History Congress |
| January 1991 | Norway | Funeral of King Olaf V |
| September 1991 | Morocco | Goodwill visit |
| Britain | Japan Festival opening ceremony | |
| July 1992 | Spain | Seville Expo ’92 and Barcelona Olympics opening ceremony |
| Venezuela, Mexico | Goodwill visit | |
| November 1994 | Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain | Goodwill visit |
| January 1995 | Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Jordan | Goodwill visit |
| February 1999 | Jordan | Funeral of King Hussein. |
| December 1999 | Belgium | Wedding of Prince Philippe. |
| May 2001 | Britain | Japan 2001 festival |
| January 2002 | Netherlands | Wedding of Prince Willem-Alexander |
| December 2002 | New Zealand, Australia | Goodwill visit |
| May 2004 | Denmark | Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik |
| Portugal | Goodwill visit | |
| Spain | Wedding of Prince Felipe | |
| September 2004 | Brunei | Wedding of Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah |
| August 2005 | Saudi Arabia | Condolences on death of King Fahd |
| March 2006 | Mexico | World Water Forum |
| August 2006 | Netherlands | Recuperation trip for Crown Princess Masako (Princess Aiko also travels) |
| September 2006 | Tonga | Funeral of King Tupou IV |
| July 2007 | Mongolia | Goodwill visit |
| June 2008 | Brazil | Goodwill visit (on centennial of Japanese immigration into Brazil) |
| July 2008 | Spain | Goodwill visit (Expo 2008 in Zaragoza) |
| July 2008 | Tonga | Coronation of King Tupou V |
| February 2009 | Vietnam | Goodwill visit |
| March 2009 | Turkey | World Water Forum |
| March 2010 | Ghana, Kenya | Goodwill visit |
| June 2010 | Sweden | Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria |
| June 2011 | Germany | Goodwill visit (150 years of relations between Japan and Germany) |
| October 2011 | Saudi Arabia | Condolences on death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud |
| June 2012 | Saudi Arabia | Condolences on death of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud |
| June 2012 | Thailand, Cambodia, Laos | Goodwill visit |
| October 2012 | Luxembourg | Wedding of Prince Guillaume |
| March 2013 | United States | United Nations Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters |
| April 2013 | Netherlands | Investiture of King Willem-Alexander |
| June 2013 | Spain | Goodwill visit (400 years of relations between Japan and Spain) |
| December 2013 | South Africa | Funeral of former President Nelson Mandela |
| June 2014 | Switzerland | Goodwill visit (150 years of relations between Japan and Switzerland) |
| January 2015 | Saudi Arabia | Condolences on death of King Abdullah |
| July 2015 | Tonga | Coronation of King Tupou VI |
| November 2015 | United States | United Nations Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters |
| April 2017 | Malaysia | Goodwill visit (60 years of relations between Japan and Malaysia) |
| June 2017 | Denmark | Goodwill visit (150 years of relations between Japan and Denmark) |
| March 2018 | Brazil | World Water Forum |
| September 2018 | France | Goodwill visit (160 years of relations between Japan and France) |
Created by Nippon.com based on information from the Imperial Household Agency. Yellow highlighting indicates trips taken together with Crown Princess Masako.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: After marrying, the imperial couple’s first overseas state visit was to four countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, in November 1994. Pictured at the Red Sand near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. © Jiji.)