両陛下、熊本の被災者見舞う　オンラインで初、昨年７月豪雨

　天皇、皇后両陛下は２７日、お住まいの赤坂御所で、昨年の７月豪雨により６５人が死亡、２人が行方不明となった熊本県の被災者らとオンラインで懇談された。
　新型コロナウイルス感染拡大の影響で、両陛下は昨年１１月にオンラインで病院や高齢者施設などの視察を始めたが、被災者を見舞うのは初めて。
　この日は冒頭、県庁の蒲島郁夫知事から全体の被害状況について説明を受けた後、人吉、八代両市役所と芦北町、球磨村の役場を順につないで懇談。当時と現在の様子をビデオで見てから、被災者や災害対応に当たった消防や警察などの関係者に話し掛けた。（2021/01/27-20:36）

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako in online meetings Wednesday encouraged people in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, which was hit hard by the July 2020 rain disaster.
   It was the first time for the Imperial couple to send words of encouragement to disaster victims online. Following the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Emperor and the Empress started to inspect hospitals and care facilities for elderly people online in November last year.
   At the start of the video session, Kumamoto Governor Ikuo Kabashima, from the Kumamoto prefectural government office, briefed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on the extent of damage from the rain disaster, which claimed 65 lives and left two people missing. Then, the Imperial couple's residence in Minato Ward in Tokyo and the municipal offices of the cities of Hitoyoshi and Yatsushiro, the town of Ashikita and the village of Kuma were connected online.
   After watching a video showing afflicted areas soon after the disaster and how they look now, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako talked to surviving victims and people who engaged in relief activities, including firefighters and police officers.
   "Are you doing all right as it's getting colder there?" the Emperor told Shuichi Yamagami, 76, from Hitoyoshi, who has still been evacuated and unable to return to his home. Yamagami's home was inundated to the second floor in the disaster.