The Emperor marked his 61st birthday on Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference at the Akasaka Imperial Residence in Tokyo on Friday, ahead of the birthday, the Emperor expressed concern about the situation in which the spread of coronavirus infections has not ended. "I look forward to a bright future after the public spends a little more time to overcome the novel coronavirus pandemic with patience by cooperating with each other," he said.
Speaking about the Great East Japan Earthquake, the 10th anniversary of which will be on March 11, the Emperor said: "It still pains me to think about the disaster."
Because of the pandemic, public visits to the Imperial Palace to celebrate his birthday have been canceled for two consecutive years. A commemorative event was held at the Imperial Palace on Tuesday on a smaller scale.
-- '2011 quake not something in the past'
The Emperor said he and the Empress will continue to hold in their hearts the areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
"There still seem to be many issues to be dealt with in the affected areas," the Emperor said. Although the reconstruction of roads and other infrastructure is progressing, the emotional scars of those who lost their family members and loved ones or those whose living environment was completely changed due to evacuation from disaster-stricken areas "may have not yet healed," the Emperor said.
With the earthquake that struck off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture earlier this month having reminded him of the extent of the damage caused by the disaster 10 years ago, the Emperor said: "We need to think of the 2011 disaster as not something in the past but something ongoing."
The Emperor expressed his worries about people who faced difficulties because of the pandemic. He also said it has been a year in which the public has widely shared gratitude for medical and health workers. He expressed his gratitude to people working to prevent the spread of infections since efforts to continue anti-infection measures are still required.
Mentioning a thing that left an impression on him, he cited the activities of Tom Moore, who died on Feb. 2 at the age of 100 in Britain. Moore raised money for health workers by walking his garden 100 laps before his 100th birthday.
"He left the words, 'Tomorrow will be a good day,' and I believe the words myself and can't help but hope that it will be so," the Emperor said.
The Emperor said he always has spent his time thinking about what he can do amid the pandemic. He said he found new possibilities in the online services he has been using since last autumn to visit medical facilities and disaster-stricken areas.
With regard to his daughter, Princess Aiko, who will come of age in December, the Emperor expressed his hope that she "will fulfill each of her duties with gratitude and compassion as an adult member of the Imperial Family."
Asked about the marriage of Princess Mako, a niece of the Emperor and a daughter of Crown Prince Akishino, the Emperor said he is aware that there are various opinions among the people. "I hope she will thoroughly talk about the matter with her parents, and that will lead to, as Crown Prince Akishino said, a situation where many people understand and are pleased."
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