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By APD writer Alice
On October 22, Japanese Emperor Naruhito officially proclaimed his enthronement in a centuries-old ceremony attended by roughly 2,000 guests, including some 420 dignitaries from about 190 countries and international organizations.
At the 30-minute coronation ceremony, the 126th emperor of Japan vowed to act according to the Constitution and fulfill his responsibility as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people of Japan.
Dressed in a "Korozen no goho," a dark-orange robe with a design dating back to the ninth century that emperors wear on special occasions, the 59-year-old emperor said he always wishes for the happiness of the people and the peace of the world.
Meanwhile, Empress Masako, 55, dressed in a layered court kimono, stood inside the adjacent Michodai throne in the "Sokuirei Seiden no gi" ceremony at the palace in central Tokyo.
The ceremony ended with a 21-gun salute offered by the Ground Self-Defence Force.
Japan made the day a national holiday and pardoned around 550,000 prisoners on the occasion. Up to 26,000 police officers were mobilized to ensure security for this important event.
Naruhito and his wife Masako became Japanese Emperor and Empress in a brief ceremony on May 1, one day after his 85-year-old father, former Emperor Akihito, stepped down.
Naruhito is the first Japanese emperor born after World War II. He studied at the Britain’s University of Oxford and is the first Japanese monarch who studied abroad.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
