Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will accept the formal invitation of numerous Vietnamese leaders and make their first-ever visit to Vietnam in early March, reports the Japan Today newspaper.

The trip, would be the couple’s first overseas trip since January 2016 when they travelled to the Philippines to visit the site of one of the fiercest battlefields where Japanese soldiers fought during World War II. 

The 83-year-old emperor and the 82-year-old empress are expected to attend public events in Hanoi. The trip could last five days as they would also travel to Hue, located in central Vietnam.

The most recent visit from a Japanese leader was the one by President Shinzo Abe in 2013.

Japan is one of the Southeast Asian country’s top donors and development partners, having provided an estimated US$27.6 billion worth of official development assistance since 1992.

VOV