Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako met two former residents of Iwo Jima, a remote Tokyo island in the Pacific, at the Nasu Imperial Villa in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, on Tuesday.
The two, Atsuko Watabe, 95, and Yaiko Hara, 94, who currently live in the town, were forcibly evacuated from the island due to fierce battles there during the final stage of World War II.
Watabe told the imperial couple of her memory of U.S. air raids on the island. In response, the emperor said, “You had a harsh experience,” and the empress said, “It must have been distressing.”
Hara talked about her participation in a Nasu settler group after the war. The emperor told her, “You must have gone through a hard time.”
In April, the imperial couple visited Iwo Jima to mourn the war dead, as this year marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. According to their aides, the couple had learned from books that former Iwo Jima residents had settled in Nasu, and hoped to meet them.
The Emperor and empress will stay in the villa for several days after arriving on Tuesday.
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