両陛下、初めて追悼式に　上皇ご夫妻、愛子さま黙とう―東日本大震災１０年

　政府主催では最後となる東日本大震災追悼式に１１日、天皇、皇后両陛下が初めて出席された。宮内庁によると、長女愛子さまはお住まいの赤坂御所で、上皇ご夫妻も仙洞仮御所で黙とうし、犠牲者に祈りをささげた。
　この日、マスク姿の両陛下は午後２時４６分の時報に合わせて「東日本大震災犠牲者之霊」と書かれた標柱に向かって頭を下げ、１分間黙とう。陛下は「今後とも被災地の方々の声に耳を傾け、心を寄せ続けていきたい」とお言葉を述べた。
　追悼式には発生から５年の２０１６年まで上皇ご夫妻が欠かさず出席し、１７年からは秋篠宮ご夫妻が引き継いだ。昨年は新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大のため中止となったが、１０年の節目で最後となる今年は十分な感染防止策を取った上で、初めて両陛下が臨んだ。（2021/03/11-17:41）

Japanese Emperor Naruhito, who ascended the throne in May 2019, and Empress Masako attended a government-hosted memorial ceremony for victims of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami for the first time on Thursday.
   At the ceremony, held at the National Theatre in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, the Emperor and the Empress, both wearing face masks amid the novel coronavirus epidemic, bowed their heads in front of an altar for the disaster victims and observed a minute of silence from 2:46 p.m. (5:46 a.m. GMT), the time when the 9.0-magnitude quake hit mainly the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan exactly 10 years ago.
   "It is a matter of great importance, I believe, that we all keep ourselves united, and everlastingly maintain the will to stand by the afflicted people so that the progress of the reconstruction will steadily bear fruit...in order to help all of them regain their peaceful lives in less than no time," Emperor Naruhito said in a speech.
   "I, together with the Empress, would like to continue to listen to the voices of those in the afflicted regions and stay close to them," he added.
   The ceremony, held for the first time in two years, marked the last state-sponsored memorial event for the tragedy. Last year's ceremony was canceled due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.