Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will visit Britain next week to attend events celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee, which marks 60 years since her accession to the throne. The Emperor and his wife are expected to arrive in London on May 16. The Queen will be hosting events, including a lunch at Windsor Castle on May 18. The 78-year old Emperor was allowed by his doctors to travel after undergoing heart bypass surgery in February. This is the couple’s first overseas trip since 2009, when they visited Canada and Hawaii. The Emperor has visited Britain eight times since the Queen’s coronation in 1953, when he was still a crown prince. On an 1998 visit, the couple were ill-received by former prisoners-of-war, held captive by Japan during World War II, who turned their backs on the Emperor as he was being driven through London.