Emperor Emeritus set for move to Sento Palace

Courtesy of the Imperial Household Agency
The Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita pose for a photo late last year at the provisional Sento Palace in Tokyo.

The Imperial Household Agency announced Wednesday that the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita will move into the Sento Palace on the Akasaka Estate in Motoakasaka, Tokyo, on April 26.

They have been living in a temporary residence at the provisional Sento Palace in Takanawa, Tokyo, and they will stay at the Hayama Imperial Villa in Kanagawa Prefecture from April 12 to 26 during the moving process.

The Sento Palace building was built in 1960 as the couple’s new residence when they were the crown prince and crown princess.

The current Emperor and his family lived there from 1994 until last September. After the Emperor and his family moved to the Imperial Palace, renovation work was carried out to make the Sento Palace building barrier-free. Work on the residential space was completed at the end of March.