Japan's Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako are expected to arrive in Britain later today for a week-long visit, during which they will will be received by King Charles III and will visit Oxford University, where they studied, reported AFP and Reuters, quoted by BTA.
This is only the couple's second visit abroad since Naruhito ascended the throne in 2019. The 64-year-old emperor and 60-year-old empress will begin their actual visit tomorrow and Monday with private engagements before the official start on Tuesday three-day program of their state visit, says AFP.
The highlight will be the state banquet hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, which has sparked speculation that Princess Kate, the wife of Crown Prince William, may attend.
Undergoing cancer treatment, she made her first public appearance in six months last weekend at King Charles III's birthday celebrations.
Emperor Naruhito is also expected to visit Windsor Castle and lay flowers at the grave of Queen Elizabeth II, whom he had known since his student days in Britain and who died in September 2022. The emperor and his wife attended her funeral, as and many foreign heads of state.
With the UK general election scheduled for July 4, a possible meeting with conservative British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not been confirmed at this stage.
For 75-year-old King Charles III, this state visit will be the third he has hosted in Britain since he ascended the throne.
He also suffers from cancer, diagnosed at the beginning of the year, but has resumed public engagements since April, including this week at the Royal Ascot horse race, west of London.
The Japanese emperor said he was "very grateful" that King Charles III, who is suffering from cancer, could welcome them.
Before Charles III, Queen Elizabeth II hosted two Japanese emperors on state visits during her 70-year reign: Emperor Hirohito in 1971, and then his eldest son, who succeeded him, Emperor Akihito, in 1998, AFP recalls.