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Bhutan's royal couple on state visit to Japan
Nov 15, 2011, 4:28 GMT
Tokyo - Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema arrived in Japan Tuesday for a six-day visit to include an inspection of disaster-ravaged areas.
The newlywed royal couple's trip is Japan's first state visit since a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami struck the north-eastern region on March 11.
They were to be feted at a banquet in the Imperial Palace on Wednesday. Emperor Akihito, who was has been hospitalized with bronchitis, will not attend the event.
The 31-year-old king will also speak to the parliament Thursday.
On Friday, the couple will visit a primary school in Soma city outside the no-go zone around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
The plant has been leaking radioactivity since it was hit by the earthquake and tsunami.
The Bhutanese king donated 1 million dollars for the victims.
King Jigme Khesar is the fifth ruler of the remote Himalayan kingdom since the Wangchuck monarchy was established in 1907.
Read more about Bhutan
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