By the end of last April, Emperor Akihito became the first monarch who abdicated the Japanese Imperial throne since 1817. On the abdication ceremony of Chrysanthemum Throne, the Emperor uttered the ending of his Heisei Era (Achieving Peace) by remarking of sincerely thanks to the Japanese people for their support to him as the symbol of state during his reign at the Imperial Palace’s Pine Chamber. A day later, at the stroke of midnight in the beginning of May, the Crown Prince Naruhito has officially ascended the throne as the new Japanese Emperor, noting the beginning of Reiwa Era (Beautiful Harmony).

Under the current system, Japan Imperial Throne is following male line of succession. The Article 8 of the Imperial House Law mentions that the throne accession is limited to males descended from the male Imperial line and it assumes only a direct succession of the throne from father to son (kotaishi). Currently, the Imperial Family has just 18 members, 13 of whom are women, and only 4 legitimate heirs to the throne, they are: the Crown Prince Naruhito, his younger brother Prince Akishino and his 10-year-old son, Prince Hisahito, and Emperor Akihito’s brother, prince Masahito. As the Former Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko stepped down from the throne, the Crown Prince Naruhito technically succeeded his father.

The transition of the Chrysanthemum Throne was celebrated in several ceremonies, started with the abdication ceremony of Emperor Akihito. At the start of the abdication ceremony, the state and privy seals were carried by chamberlains into the hall together with Japan’s “Three Sacred Treasures” or “The Imperial Regalia of Japan Sanshu no Jing (三種の神器)– a sword Kusanagi (草薙劍), a jewel Yasakani no Magatama (八尺瓊勾玉) and together with a mirror Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡), as the throne symbols originating in ancient mythology. Later, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally announced the abdication of Emperor Akihito. In his speech, Prime Minister Abe praised how the Emperor had been always close to Japanese people at challenging times of natural disaster by sharing the sorrow, hope, joys, and courage. Further, Prime Minister Abe also wished for Japan’s bright future with full of peace. Following the Prime Minister’s speech, Emperor Akihito expressed his final speech on ascending the throne for 30 years by mentioning that he had fulfilled his duties with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people. In this occasion, he also wished Reiwa Era to be stable, peaceful, and happy, especially for the Japanese people and for people around the world. At the end of the ceremony, Emperor Akihito along with Empress Michiko, now officially known as Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, descended the dais, paused, turned toward the audience, bowed and finally, exited the room. The ceremony was held from 05.00 to 05.10 p.m., attended by 300 people, including Imperial Family, the leaders of both houses of the Diet and the Supreme Court justices, as well as state ministers and representatives from local municipalities, and the event was broadcasted live on national televisions.

Following the abdication ceremony, in the morning of 1 May at 10.30 to 10.40 a.m. at Palace’s Matsu no Ma state room, the new Emperor Naruhito received the Imperial Regalia of Three Sacred Treasures in the inheritance symbolic ceremony of Kenji Tou Shoukei no Gi. He received the Imperial sword, the jewel, and the mirror. The Three Sacred Treasures presented in ceremony were always encased in boxes and could not be seen by anyone, including the Emperor himself. The sword was placed at the Atsuta Shrine, meanwhile the jewel was stored at the Imperial Palace, and the mirror was saved at the Ise Grand Shrine. According to the Japanese mythology, the treasures were symbols of the Emperor’s divinity as a descendant of God Amaterasu. Although the mirror was not presented at the ceremony, it was inherited by the new Emperor as part of the royal succession. In the ceremony, those sacred treasures were put on desks in front of the new Emperor to represent his rightful succession, passed down through Imperial generations. The new Emperor acknowledged the ceremony as an important responsibility and paid tribute to His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus’ legacy. This ceremony was attended by only adult male of Imperial family members and male cabinet, but uncommonly Japan’s sole female cabinet member, Satsuki Katamaya, the current Minister of State for both regional revitalization and gender equality, was present in this centuries-old ceremony.

Shortly after the Regalia Inheritance ceremony or Sokui Go Chouken no Gi, at 11.10 a.m., Emperor Naruhito made his first public remark as the Emperor, accompanied by the new Empress Masako and other Imperial family members at Imperial Palace’s Pine Chamber. He vowed that he would act according to the constitution and fulfilled his responsibility as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people of Japan. Moreover, he would follow the footsteps of his father by reflecting deeply on the course followed by His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus as well as past emperors and devoting to his self-improvement. In addition, he also wished for the happiness of the people, the further development of the nation and the peace of the world.

Afterwards, the speech of Emperor Naruhito was followed by the remark of Prime Minister Abe. On behalf of the people of Japan, he congratulated the new Emperor on this enthronement occasion by saying “we are determined to create a bright future for a proud Japan filled with peace and hope at the time when the international situation is changing dramatically”. The public remark ceremony was taken for ten minutes, finished at 11.20 a.m. Later, the Emperor’s word of “act according to the Constitution” was interpreted by many experts, as to protect the Supreme Law together with the people of Japan and to abide by the constitution even though it is amended.

Following the ceremony, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, along with Imperial family members, were scheduled to greet the crowds well-wishers of a five-minute appearances once every hour at Imperial Palace on 4 May from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for six times of the day. There were more than 140,000 people gathered in the event, exceeding the number of people coming to attend the Emperor Akihito’s first public appearance in 1990, which was around 109,800 people. Continuously, Emperor Naruhito will elaborate more formal ceremonies, such as enthronement ceremony on 22 October and a great thanksgiving ceremony from 14 to 15 November 2019.

Following the Japanese celebration of the new Era, leaders around the world have offered congratulations to Emperor Naruhito on the day he ascended the throne, uttering hopes for further development of bilateral relations. Among of the tributes are the President Trump of the United States and the first lady, who sent their profound congratulations. It was also announced that President Trump would act as the first state guest who would visit Japan from 25 to 28 May to personally meet Emperor Naruhito. Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom had also sent her private message, followed by President Vladimir Putin of Russia and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Several Asian leaders such as President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and President Xi Jinping of China, had also delivered their congratulatory message by telegram to the new Emperor, emphasizing on promotion of peaceful development and bright future for their bilateral relations. Likewise, Thai Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnamese President, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia, President’s spokesman of the Philippines, Mr. Salvador Panelo, President Bidya Devi Bhandari of Nepal, and Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr. Retno Marsudi had also delivered their praise to the new Emperor.

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