Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Punchbowl cemetery during their Hawai'i visit next month, the Japanese government announced yesterday.

They will also attend a banquet at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and visit Kapi'olani Park, but are not scheduled to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, according to the official itinerary.

News of the royal couple's visit was first reported in March, but yesterday's release provided the first details of the trip.

They will stop in Hawai'i July 14 to 16, on their way home from an 11-day tour of Canada. It will be their first visit to Hawai'i since 1994.

They are scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on July 14 and then go to Kona on July 16, where they will spend the day before flying out later that day.

The main public event is expected to be a banquet in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

ON THE SCHEDULE

Edwin Hawkins, president of the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, which administers the scholarship, said in March that the plan is to open the event to the public.

Hawkins said the plan also is to invite the 129 people who have received scholarships over the years.

The Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation was established as a wedding gift to the couple by residents of Hawai'i in 1959. Each year, two students from the University of Hawai'i are given scholarships to study in Japan and two Japanese students are granted scholarships to study in Hawai'i.

Other scheduled events for Akihito and Michiko are: