InsideJapan News Network

The Japanese Emperor made his first trip to the disaster-struck north-eastern regions of Japan yesterday (April 14th), it has been reported.

Asahi city welcomed Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, who offered moral support and consolation to evacuees, Japan Times said.

The couple were briefed on the situation in the city by local mayor Tadanao Akechi.

Asahi has seen around 900 houses flattened by the March 11th earthquake, and the shelter they were visiting houses around 1,400 evacuees.

Nearly 140,000 Japanese are still living in shelters after last month's natural disasters, msnbc.com estimates, with many evacuated due to the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

This news comes as the impact of the earthquake to the Japanese landscape was calculated for the first time.

A geographical survey found that many triangulation points across Japan have sunk significantly, with drops of up to 84 cm recorded in some regions.

Written by Susan Ballion


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