Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will not attend Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in Britain, given that the Japanese emperor and empress plan to do so, filling in the invitation slots from Britain, government sources said Tuesday.

The invitation extended to Japan by Britain was only for two people and plans are now under way for Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to attend the Sept. 19 funeral, the sources said.

Crowds gather on a street in Edinburgh to watch the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 11, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The queen, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, died at age 96 on Thursday. The royal and imperial families have long shared a deep bond.

With dignitaries including U.S. President Joe Biden scheduled to attend the funeral, an aide to Kishida had called for the prime minister to visit Britain and engage in "funeral diplomacy."

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