On the afternoon of July 4, 2013, Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan arrived in Tōno, Japan to visit a temporary housing complex for 70 families who lost their homes due to the March 11, 2011, 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Tōhoku. The powerful earthquake caused a massive tsunami which devastated areas within the Iwate Prefecture.