Emperor, Empress Attend Japan Games Opening Ceremony

Tokyo, Oct. 10 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended an opening ceremony for the Japan Games multisport event at the Maeda Arena, an indoor arena, in the northeastern city of Aomori on Saturday.

It was the first time for an opening ceremony for the event, previously known as the National Sports Festival, to take place at an indoor facility.

At the ceremony, the Imperial couple, participating athletes and others offered silent prayers for victims of disasters that have hit the country, including the July 28 massive earthquake in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto.

In his address, Emperor Naruhito expressed his sympathy for surviving victims and said, "I expect that the excitement to be created here, coupled with people's love of sports, will become hopes for the future."

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived in Aomori Prefecture earlier on Saturday aboard a special jet from Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]