Japanese royalty to visit England

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TOKYO, May 7 (UPI) -- Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will travel to Britain this month for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, the Japanese government said Tuesday.

Kyodo News said the royal couple will travel to England May 16 to take part in events celebrating the 60th anniversary of the queen's accession to the throne.

On May 18, they will attend a luncheon hosted by the queen at Windsor Castle near London and a banquet hosted by her son, Prince Charles, at Buckingham Palace, the Imperial Household Agency told Kyodo. Heads of state from other nations are also expected to attend.

It will be the imperial couple's first overseas trip since 2009 when they visited Hawaii and Canada. It will be the eighth time Akihito has been to Britain, including visits when he was Japan's crown prince.

The emperor and empress will meet with those who have worked to help victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that ravaged parts of Japan, and with representatives of Japanese nationals living in Britain, the agency said.