-:Undertaker:-
30-04-2019, 12:57 AM
Emperor of Japan Abdication
Later today Emperor Akihito, age 85, is set to become the first Emperor to abdicate in 200 years ending his 30 year reign
https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/sites/default/files/field/image/AkihitoMichiko1.jpg
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan
Japan's Emperor Akihito is set to step down from the throne on Tuesday, which will make him the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in more than 200 years.
The 85-year-old has been given legal permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his age and declining health. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will ascend the Chrysanthemum throne the next day, beginning a new era.
The emperor in Japan holds no political power but serves as a national symbol. Emperor Akihito's reign has been marked by his interactions with people suffering from disease and disaster, which has endeared him in the hearts of many Japanese people.
Akihito will be the first Japanese monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne since 1817. The 85-year-old had in 2016 said that he feared that his age would make it hard for him to carry out his duties and strongly hinted that he wanted to stand down.
"When I consider that my fitness level is gradually declining, I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the State," he had said then. Opinion polls showed that the vast majority of Japan sympathised with the emperor's desire to retire and a year later parliament enacted a law that made his abdication possible.
His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will take his place.
The Taiirei-Seiden-nogi, or Ceremony of the Abdication of His Majesty the Emperor, is expected to take place at the Matsu-no-Ma state room in the Imperial Palace but much of it will be behind closed doors. The ceremony will begin at 17:00 local time (08:00 GMT) with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko entering the room. Over 330 attendants will also be present.
The ceremony will end with Akihito delivering his final address as emperor, though he will technically remain emperor until midnight. On Wednesday morning, Crown Prince Naruhito will inherit the Imperial Treasures in his first ritual as emperor.
Japan remains one of the few monarchies in the world to still do a full Coronation, so apparently it is expected the Coronation of the new Emperor will take place in the autumn. We'll see a ceremony that has a history of over a thousand years old. Will be interesting!
I don't believe in abdication but there we have it. Worth remembering that Emperor Akihito really defined the role of Emperor, as his father was Emperor Hirohito who kept mainly to himself very much in the old fashion of the Japanese Sovereign.
Thoughts?
Later today Emperor Akihito, age 85, is set to become the first Emperor to abdicate in 200 years ending his 30 year reign
https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/sites/default/files/field/image/AkihitoMichiko1.jpg
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan
Japan's Emperor Akihito is set to step down from the throne on Tuesday, which will make him the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in more than 200 years.
The 85-year-old has been given legal permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his age and declining health. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will ascend the Chrysanthemum throne the next day, beginning a new era.
The emperor in Japan holds no political power but serves as a national symbol. Emperor Akihito's reign has been marked by his interactions with people suffering from disease and disaster, which has endeared him in the hearts of many Japanese people.
Akihito will be the first Japanese monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne since 1817. The 85-year-old had in 2016 said that he feared that his age would make it hard for him to carry out his duties and strongly hinted that he wanted to stand down.
"When I consider that my fitness level is gradually declining, I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the State," he had said then. Opinion polls showed that the vast majority of Japan sympathised with the emperor's desire to retire and a year later parliament enacted a law that made his abdication possible.
His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will take his place.
The Taiirei-Seiden-nogi, or Ceremony of the Abdication of His Majesty the Emperor, is expected to take place at the Matsu-no-Ma state room in the Imperial Palace but much of it will be behind closed doors. The ceremony will begin at 17:00 local time (08:00 GMT) with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko entering the room. Over 330 attendants will also be present.
The ceremony will end with Akihito delivering his final address as emperor, though he will technically remain emperor until midnight. On Wednesday morning, Crown Prince Naruhito will inherit the Imperial Treasures in his first ritual as emperor.
Japan remains one of the few monarchies in the world to still do a full Coronation, so apparently it is expected the Coronation of the new Emperor will take place in the autumn. We'll see a ceremony that has a history of over a thousand years old. Will be interesting!
I don't believe in abdication but there we have it. Worth remembering that Emperor Akihito really defined the role of Emperor, as his father was Emperor Hirohito who kept mainly to himself very much in the old fashion of the Japanese Sovereign.
Thoughts?