両陛下東北へ 被災者を励ます温かいお言葉

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 29, 2011)
Imperial couple's words comfort quake survivors
両陛下東北へ　被災者を励ます温かいお言葉（4月28日付・読売社説）

The Emperor and Empress, who have been visiting evacuees from areas hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake, visited quake-hit Miyagi Prefecture on Wednesday.
　東日本大震災の被災者へのお見舞いを続ける天皇、皇后両陛下が２７日、宮城県を訪問された。

It was the Imperial couple's first visit the Tohoku region since the March 11 quake. They are also scheduled to visit Iwate and Fukushima prefectures shortly.
　震災後、東北地方に入られるのは初めてで、近日中に岩手、福島両県の訪問も予定されている。

Their words must be a great encouragement to people in or from the quake-hit areas, especially those staying at evacuation centers.
　被災地の人々、とりわけ避難所生活を送る人たちに、お二人のお言葉は大きな励ましとなろう。

On Wednesday, the Emperor and Empress visited evacuation centers in Minami-Sanrikucho and Sendai, which suffered great damage in the tsunami caused by the earthquake.
　両陛下は、津波で甚大な被害を受けた南三陸町と仙台市内の避難所を訪ねられた。

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Support for the suffering

Kneeling on the floors of gymnasiums used as evacuation shelters, they talked to many of the evacuees, saying "Any problems with your health?" or "Take care, please."
体育館の床に両ひざをつき、一人一人に「お体は大丈夫ですか」「お大事にね」などと声をかけられた。

According to the Imperial Household Agency, the Imperial couple hoped to visit the quake-hit areas as early as possible, but the visits started more than a month after the quake due to various circumstances.
　宮内庁によると、お二人は早期の現地入りを望まれていたが、被災地の状況を考慮し、１か月を過ぎて訪問が開始された。

They visited Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, on April 14 and Kita-Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, on April 22. Both visits included stops at evacuation centers.
１４日に千葉県旭市、２２日は茨城県北茨城市の避難所などを見舞われた。

Ever since the great earthquake took place, the Imperial couple have been following the news from the quake- and tsunami-hit areas, and their wish to support the people and share in their sorrow has grown stronger, according to the agency.
　３月１１日の震災発生以来、両陛下は被災地のニュースを見続け、「人々の心の支えになりたい。困難を分かち合いたい」という思いを強くされてきたという。

On March 16, five days after the quake, the Emperor took the unprecedented step of releasing a public video message for the nation.
　５日後の１６日には前例のないビデオメッセージを発表された。

"I can only hope that by making every effort to promptly implement relief for evacuees, their conditions will improve, even if gradually, and that their hope for eventual reconstruction will be rekindled," the Emperor said.
　「被災者の状況が少しでも好転し、人々の復興への希望につながっていくことを心から願わずにはいられません」

"I believe it extremely important for us all to share with the victims as much as possible, in whatever way we can, their hardship in the coming days."
「苦難の日々を、私たち皆が、様々な形で少しでも多く分かち合っていくことが大切であろうと思います」

We believe that these words, reflecting the Emperor's feelings about the situation, and his soothing manner of speaking must have encouraged the nation's people greatly.
　陛下の思いが滲(にじ)むお言葉と、穏やかな語り口に、どれほど国民は勇気づけられたことだろう。

When Tokyo Electric Power Co. carried out a schedule of rolling blackouts, the Imperial Palace was not the subject to it. However, to coincide with the nighttime power outage schedule, the couple reduced their electricity use voluntarily, taking simple meals such as onigiri rice balls by candlelight.
　計画停電が実施された際、皇居は対象外だったが、夜の停電時間に合わせ、ろうそくなどの灯を頼りにおにぎりなどの簡単な食事をとられるようになったという。

The Imperial couple also showed tender solicitude to evacuated people. They donated produce from an Imperial livestock farm in Tochigi Prefecture, such as chicken eggs, to evacuees through their farm employees. The hot spring bath for employees at the Nasu Imperial villa in Nasumachi in the prefecture was opened for evacuees.
　栃木県の御料牧場の鶏卵などを、職員を通じて避難者用に提供したり、那須御用邸の職員用宿舎の温泉を開放するなど、優しい気遣いも見せられた。

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Sharing the people's feelings

"They feel the people's happiness and misfortune as if they were their own, think about them and act on them," Grand Steward Shingo Haketa said. In the agency head's comment we can sense how the Imperial couple feel about the current situation.
　「人々の幸せも、不幸も、我がこととして受け止め、考え、実践されている」。羽毛田信吾宮内庁長官の短い言葉の中に、両陛下の胸中を察することができる。

Since the Imperial couple visited an area hit by eruptions of Fugendake peak in the Unzen mountain range in 1991 in Nagasaki Prefecture, they have never neglected to visit areas hit by major disasters, including the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake and the 2004 Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake. Each time, they listened to the thoughts and feelings of the disaster-hit people and offered them encouragement.
　両陛下は１９９１年、雲仙・普賢岳噴火の被災地を見舞われて以降、９５年の阪神大震災、２００４年の中越地震など大災害のたびに現地へ足を運び、被災者の話を聞き、励ましてこられた。

The Emperor is 77 years old and the Empress 76. It may be a quite burden for them to visit the quake-hit areas, transferring en route from a small Self-Defense Forces plane to an SDF helicopter. Sufficient consideration must also be given to the couple's physical health.
　陛下は７７歳、皇后さまは７６歳。自衛隊機とヘリを乗り継ぐ被災地訪問はご負担だろう。お二人のお体にも十分な配慮が必要だ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 28, 2011)
（2011年4月28日01時06分 読売新聞）