Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko inspected equipment to desalinate rubble and a rotary kiln which heats raw materials to make cement at the plant in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, one of three prefectures in northeastern Japan devastated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck the area.

The plant, operated by Taiheiyo cement, is close to the sea and was heavily damaged by the tsunami. But it was back online about eight months later and is now producing cement used for the reconstruction of the damaged areas. The imperial couple arrived in Iwate the previous day for a two-day trip.