Inclement weather may move Naruhito enthronement indoors

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako (Kyodo)

For Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony Tuesday, changes may need to be made to the positioning of both ceremonial officials and items in the event of inclement weather, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

The emperor will declare his enthronement in the “Sokuirei Seiden no gi” — an ancient ceremony equivalent to a coronation — from an elevated dais within the Imperial Palace in Tokyo before some 2,000 guests in adjoining hallways.

Under the current plan, ceremonial officials carrying swords and bows, together with drum and gong players, will line up outside in the courtyard, which is to be decorated with colorful flags and spears.

But officials may have to move inside to the hallways while the flags, of varying sizes, may be removed altogether if the weather is bad. A high chance of rain has been forecast for Tokyo on Tuesday.

President Rodrigo Duterte will be among the dignitaries from more than 170 countries and international organizations who will attend the ceremony.

The guest list includes royal members such as King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Philippe of Belgium, King Felipe VI of Spain, as well as Britain’s Prince Charles and Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk.

President Duterte will meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before returning to the Philippines on 24 October.

The 30-minute ceremony will be conducted from 1 p.m. in the “Matsu no Ma” state room, with the emperor ascending to the 6.5-meter-high “Takamikura” canopied throne.

As the curtains of the Takamikura open, the emperor, dressed in traditional Japanese attire, will stand and deliver a speech.

Abe will then convey “yogoto” felicitations from the floor of the state room and lead the guests in three banzai cheers to wish longevity for the emperor.

The clothing to be donned by the ceremonial officials and the objects they hold are vulnerable to rain, while the flags may fly away in strong winds.

An agency official said it will be “quite difficult” to judge what extent of rain and winds would require changes to be made.

The imperial couple was originally scheduled to appear in a parade following the ceremony, but the event was postponed until 10 November in the aftermath of a deadly typhoon earlier this month.

They will ride in a convertible along the approximately five-kilometer route from the Imperial Palace to the Akasaka Imperial Residence in Tokyo in around 30 minutes from 3 p.m.

It would be canceled in the event of poor weather, with no other date yet planned.

Emperor Naruhito succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May, the day after his father former Emperor Akihito abdicated, Japan’s first monarch to do so in more than 200 years.

Emperor Naruhito, 59, is said to keep in touch by e-mail with the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander, 52, and a number of other overseas royals who are around the same age.

“They’re probably sharing thoughts on matters which only a royal could understand,” an aide to the Japanese monarch said.

A court banquet will be held Tuesday evening at the Imperial Palace, where the emperor and Empress Masako will greet the invited guests. (Kyodo News)