Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit communities on Ishikawa Prefecture's Noto Peninsula that were hit hard by the New Year's Day earthquake later this week.

It will be the Imperial couple's second visit to areas hit by the quake.

The Imperial Household Agency said the couple will travel by plane from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Noto Airport on Friday morning. They will then board a Japan Self-Defense Forces helicopter in the afternoon and travel to Anamizu Town.

The quake damaged more than 6,000 buildings in the town and left 20 people there dead. The couple are expected to take a look at the situation in Anamizu, visit an evacuation center and meet quake survivors. The Emperor and Empress are also expected to meet people engaged in disaster response efforts.

The couple will then travel to Noto Town. The disaster left 8 people in Noto dead and damaged more than 8,000 buildings. They will meet local residents and inspect damage caused by tsunami before they fly back to Tokyo later that night.

The agency said the visit could be postponed until Saturday, if the weather is bad on Friday.

The couple visited the cities of Wajima and Suzu, which are both located on the Noto Peninsula, on March 22.