Emperor Visits Quake Region

Two weeks after a quake killed more than 5,000 people, Emperor Akihito paid a one-day visit Tuesday to the devastated quake zone, clasping hands of refugees living in shelters.

At his first stop, a schoolturned-shelter outside the hardhit city of Kobe, Akihito walked among the refugees, shaking the hands of some and exchanging a few words with others. He held the hand of one 81-year-old man, Shuji Inoue, and spoke quietly with him.

At an elementary school packed with refugees, the emperor, clad in a ski jacket and turtleneck, knelt on the floor among folded mattresses to speak with the members of one family. They bowed deeply and repeatedly to him, and he inclined his head as he listened.