Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito formally ascends Chrysanthemum Throne

Tuesday, 07/05/2019 16:41
Former Crown Prince Naruhito formally took his place as Emperor at a solemn ceremony on May 1st, following the abdication of his father Akihito on April 30th, 2019, beginning the Reiwa period.

Japan’s Emperor Akihito to abdicate in April 2019

Japan’s Emperor Akihito delivers New Year’s greetings

Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito (Source: AFP)

Former Crown Prince Naruhito, born in 1960, is the 126th member of the world's oldest reigning dynasty. He is the first Japanese Emperor to have been born after World War II.

At the ceremony, the new Emperor received the Imperial regalia of sword and jewel as proof of and later made his first address.

The Emperor under Japan's constitution is a symbol without political power. Emperor Naruhito has promised to emulate his father in seeking peace and staying close to people.

Former Emperor Akihito, 85, was given permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his age and declining health.

Mr. Akihito now holds the title of Emperor emeritus after becoming Japan’s first emperor to abdicate in 200 years.

As scheduled, a more public enthronement ceremony will take place on October 22nd, during which new Emperor Naruhito will parade through the streets of the capital and be congratulated by other world leaders and royalty.

Earlier, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on April 1st announced that the name of its new imperial era, set to begin on May 1st, will be "Reiwa".

The word, taken from "Manyoshu," the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, is composed of two characters, "rei" and "wa," which roughly translate to "auspicious" or "orderly" and "harmony" or "peace."

This is the first time that an era’s name has come from a Japanese text and not a Chinese one.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government chose the kanji characters to represent "a culture being born and nurtured by people coming together beautifully."

"I hope the new era will take root among the public and be widely accepted by the people," he stressed.

There have been four era names in Japan’s modern history: Meiji (1868 - 1912), Taihso (1912 - 1926), Showa (1926 - 1989) and the current Heisei, meaning “achieving peace.”/.

Compiled by BTA

RELATED NEWS

Comment
FullName
Email
Contents

/

Confirm