A visit by Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, to Iwate and Miyagi prefectures has been postponed as the couple have persistent cold symptoms, the Imperial Household Agency said Tuesday.

They had been slated to visit the two prefectures in the Tohoku region Wednesday and Thursday to inspect recovery efforts in areas affected by the March 2011 powerful earthquake and tsunami.

The trip to Iwate and Miyagi will be rescheduled, according to the agency.

It is the first time that the emperor has put off or canceled a regional trip due to a health issue since he ascended the throne in May 2019.

According to the agency, the imperial couple have shown cold symptoms since last week. The emperor is recovering but still has a cough.

The empress had a slight fever as of March 18. Although her fever went down later, her cough worsened. When her doctor checked her condition on Monday night, the empress had a temperature of slightly over 37 degrees Celsius.

The couple then asked aides about putting off the trip, and the agency informed the Iwate and Miyagi prefectural governments of the postponement.

Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko are feeling truly sad about the postponement and are hoping to visit the two prefectures at different dates, agency officials said.

They will visit Fukushima Prefecture, which was also hit hard by the disaster 15 years ago, on April 6 and 7 as planned.