TOKYO, May 1 (NNN-KYODO) – Emperor Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on Wednesday to mark the start of a new imperial era in Japan.
He succeeded his father, the former Emperor Akihito, who on Tuesday became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in 202 years.
The 59-year-old, the first emperor to be born after World War II, became the “symbol of the state” without political power as stated in the postwar Constitution.
He will deliver his first speech before the heads of the government, legislature and judiciary, in a ceremony to be attended by imperial family members and government officials.
The “Sokui go Choken no gi” rite will be held from 11:10 a.m. after the emperor inherits the imperial regalia as proof of his ascension to the throne, in a ceremony known as “Kenji to Shokei no gi” from 10:30 a.m.
The regalia called “Sanshu no Jingi” consist of the sacred mirror, sword and jewel. The original mirror is kept at Ise Jingu, a Shinto shrine in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, and the sword, at Atsuta Jingu in Nagoya in nearby Aichi Prefecture.
In the ritual, the jewel and a replica of the sword will be passed to the new monarch together with the state and privy seals. At the same time, an aide of the emperor will visit a shrine inside the Imperial Palace where a replica mirror is kept.
Both ceremonies will last about 10 minutes. Only adult male members of the imperial family — the emperor’s younger brother Crown Prince Fumihito, 53, and their uncle Prince Hitachi, 83 — will attend the inheritance ceremony for the regalia and seals, following the example set by former Emperor Akihito’s enthronement in 1989.
In Japan, female members of the imperial family are not allowed to succeed to the throne. The retired emperor will not attend the ceremonies.
Former Emperor Akihito, 85, stepped down midnight Tuesday, bringing an end to the Heisei Era spanning his 30-year reign and marking the commencement of the new Reiwa Era, which the government translates as “beautiful harmony.”
“I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so,” the emperor said in his last speech Tuesday.
At his abdication ceremony, the emperor said he hoped the Reiwa Era “will be a stable and fruitful one,” adding, “I pray, with all my heart, for peace and happiness for all the people in Japan and around the world.”
In modern Japan, imperial era names, or “gengo,” are widely used in Japanese calendars, on coins and on official documents, and the new era name was announced on April 1 to facilitate changes to these.
The public will have to wait until Saturday to greet the new emperor and his wife, Empress Masako, 55. They will make their first public appearances at the Imperial Palace during the country’s Golden Week holiday period through Monday, which has been extended to 10 days to celebrate the imperial succession.
A series of ceremonies and events for the imperial succession are scheduled in coming months, including the “Sokuirei Seiden no gi,” a ceremony to proclaim the enthronement of the emperor in the palace’s state hall on Oct. 22.
After the enthronement ceremony, the new emperor and empress will parade in an open-top limousine in Tokyo, and take part in banquets with more than 2,000 guests in the same month.
Daijosai, or the great thanksgiving ceremony, in November always follows an emperor’s accession to the throne. The emperor will make offerings to the ancestral deities and pray for the peace and prosperity of Japan and its people.
The slew of ceremonies will end with the emperor’s visits to the mausoleums of past emperors and Ise Jingu, possibly by the end of the year.
As imperial succession usually happened upon the death of an emperor, the successor had to take part in mourning and funeral events simultaneously with ceremonies for his enthronement.
Former Emperor Akihito, who was enthroned at age 55 on Jan. 8, 1989, a day after his father Emperor Hirohito died, indicated his wish to abdicate in an August 2016 video address, expressing concern that he might not be able to fulfill his duties as symbol of the state due to his advanced age.
He added that previous imperial succession ceremonies put a “very heavy strain on those involved in the events, in particular, the family left behind,” and he had been wondering “whether it is possible to prevent such a situation.”
In 2017, Japan enacted one-off legislation to enable him to step down.
