TOKYO: Japan’s Empress Masako turned 61 on Monday as she thinks of people affected by disasters including the Jan. 1 major earthquake in the Noto Peninsula in central Japan.

“The beginning of this year was deeply painful” with the Noto Peninsula earthquake, Empress Masako said in a written comment released by the Imperial Household Agency, expressing her condolences to disaster victims in Noto and other areas, as well as her concerns about afflicted people.

The Empress visited the Noto region with Emperor Naruhito in March and again in April. Noto is also a place of memories for the Empress where she visited with her friends when she was a student.

“It is heartbreaking to witness many people enduring significant hardships,” she wrote.

Noting that January next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in western Japan, Empress Masako wrote, “I believe it’s important to think about disaster prevention and mitigation and make related preparations.”

Turning her attention to the world, the Empress expressed concerns about environmental issues such as climate change, saying, “The sense of urgency is increasing every year.” She wrote that she was “deeply saddened” by the many lives lost in wars and conflicts, adding that it is important for people to engage in dialogue to build a tolerant society and a peaceful world.

Touching on her visit to Britain in June, the Empress expressed gratitude for the warm reception extended by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. She recalled her first return in 34 years to the University of Oxford, where she had studied, describing it as “a very special and emotional occasion.”

On her 23-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, who began working at the Japanese Red Cross Society in April, the Empress wrote that she hopes the princess will fulfill her duties as a member of the Imperial Family while gaining diverse societal experiences.

Empress Masako expressed relief at the progressing rehabilitation of Empress Emerita Michiko, who broke her right thighbone in October.

On the passing of Princess Yuriko, great-aunt of the Emperor, in November at the age of 101, the Empress wrote that she misses her.

The agency’s team of doctors expressed the same view as before that Empress Masako, who has been diagnosed with adjustment disorder and undergoing treatment, is in a process of recovery and that her physical condition remains variable.

JIJI Press