Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit the Japanese island of Ioto to remember those who died in World War Two. This year marks 8 decades since the end of the war.



The island saw fierce battles in February and March of 1945. About 21,900 Japanese and 6,800 US troops were killed.



The Imperial Household Agency says the couple will make the day trip on April 7. They will leave Tokyo's Haneda Airport on a government plane and arrive at the island in the afternoon.



At a Self-Defense Force base there, they will be briefed by Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and others, including the mayor of Ogasawara Village, which administers Ioto.



The couple will lay flowers at a monument for the deceased members of the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military, and at a monument honoring victims from both Japanese and US militaries.



Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko laid flowers at the monuments when they visited the island in 1994, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the war's end the next year.



The Imperial couple will also lay flowers at a park that has a memorial tower for other victims, including local civilians who were employed by the military and died in the fighting.



Before leaving the island, the couple will also talk with relatives of war dead as well as members of a group formed by descendants of Ioto residents who were forced to leave the island during the war.



The Emperor said at a news conference in February that marking 80 years since the end of the war, he wants to once again extend his heartfelt condolences to those who died or endured hardships in various places.



Arrangements are also underway for Imperial visits to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa this year.