Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are scheduled to visit Britain next week to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, the government said Tuesday.

The five-day trip, which was approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, will be started from May 16. It will be the first overseas visit made by the imperial couple since 2009.

While in Britain, the couple will attend a luncheon hosted by the queen at Windsor Castle near London and a banquet hosted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

The couple are also expected to meet with British rescue workers and thank them for their support for the victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.

The 78-year-old Japanese emperor first traveled to Britain in 1953 as a 19-year-old crown prince to attend the queen's coronation. He is recuperating from a heart bypass surgery in February.