The 2019 Japanese imperial transition occurred on 30 April 2019 when the then 85-year-old

Emperor Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

abdicated Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other soci ...

from the

Chrysanthemum Throne The is the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term also can refer to very specific seating, such as the throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace. Various other thrones or seats that are used by the Emperor during official functions ...

after reigning for 30 years, becoming the first

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

to do so since

Emperor Kōkaku , posthumously honored as , was the 119th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')光格天皇 (119)/ref> Kōkaku reigned from 1779 until his abdication in 1817 in favor of his s ...

in 1817. This marked the end of the

Heisei era The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when his ...

and the inception of the

Reiwa era is the current and 232nd era of the official calendar of Japan. It began on 1 May 2019, the day on which Emperor Akihito's eldest son, Naruhito, Enthronement of the Japanese emperor, ascended the throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. The da ...

, and saw numerous festivities leading up to the accession of his eldest son and successor, Emperor

Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following 2019 Japanese imperial transition, the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, ...

. The Enthronement Ceremony took place on 22 October 2019. Akihito's younger son,

Prince Akishino is the heir presumptive to the Japanese throne. He is the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, and the younger son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed the Akishino bra ...

, is his brother's

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

. The ceremony cost 16.6 billion yen.

Background

In 2010, Emperor Akihito informed his advisory council that he would eventually like to retire from his position. However, no action was taken by senior members of the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

. On 13 July 2016, national broadcaster

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

reported that the Emperor wished to

abdicate Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other soci ...

in favour of his eldest son, Crown Prince

, within a few years. Senior officials within the

denied that there was any official plan for the monarch to abdicate. A potential abdication by the Emperor would require an amendment to the

Imperial Household Law is a Japanese law that governs the line of imperial succession, the membership of the imperial family, and several other matters pertaining to the administration of the Imperial Household. In 2017, the National Diet changed the law to enable ...

, which has no provisions for such a move. On 8 August 2016, the Emperor gave a rare televised address, where he emphasized his advanced age and declining health; this address was interpreted as an implication of his intention to abdicate.

Legislation

With the intention of the abdication now known, the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for supporting the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister and Cabinet ...

appointed Yasuhiko Nishimura as the Imperial Household Agency's Vice Grand Steward. In October 2016, the Cabinet Office appointed a panel of experts to debate the Emperor's abdication. In January 2017, the Lower House Budget committee began informally debating the constitutional nature of the abdication. On 19 May 2017, the bill that would allow Akihito to abdicate was issued by the

Cabinet of Japan The is the chief executive body of the government of Japan. It consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by the Emperor after being nominated by the National Diet, in addition to up to nineteen other members, called ministers of stat ...

. On 8 June 2017, the

National Diet , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

passed it into law, permitting the government to begin arranging the process of handing over the position to

Crown Prince Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, according to the traditional orde ...

. This meant the

was changed for the first time since 1949. The date of the abdication was set for 30 April 2019.

Imperial Household Council

On 1 December 2017, the

Imperial Household Council The is a ten-member body to approve the statutory matters on the Imperial House of Japan. The Council was established in 1947, when the current Imperial Household Law took effect. Functions The Imperial Household Law provides that the Counc ...

, which had not met in 24 years, did so in order to schedule the ceremonies involved in the first such transfer of power in two centuries. The Imperial Household Council consists of the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

, the speaker and vice-speaker of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

, the president and vice-president of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

, the

grand steward The is the head department of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. History The origins of the structure of the Imperial Household can be traced back to the reign of Emperor Monmu, with the organisation of the government structure in 701 AD ...

of the

, the chief justice and one justice of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, and two members of the

Imperial family A royal family is the immediate family of monarch, monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or emperor, empress, and the term papal family describes the family of ...

Fumihito, Prince Akishino is the heir presumptive to the Japanese throne. He is the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, and the younger son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed the Akishino br ...

, the Emperor's younger son, asked to

recuse Recusal is the legal process by which a judge, juror, or other adjudicator steps aside from participating in a case due to potential bias, conflict of interest, or appearance of impropriety. This practice is fundamental to ensuring fairness and ...

himself as he would become the next Crown Prince. He was replaced by

Masahito, Prince Hitachi is a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the younger brother of Akihito, Emperor emeritus Akihito and the paternal uncle of Naruhito, Emperor Naruhito. He is the second son and sixth born child of Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōju ...

, the Emperor's 82-year-old younger brother. The other member of the imperial family was Hitachi's wife,

Hanako, Princess Hitachi (born ; 19 July 1940), is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the wife of Masahito, Prince Hitachi, who is the younger son of Emperor Shōwa and the only brother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito. By marriage, she is the aunt of Emperor ...

. Chief Cabinet Secretary

Yoshihide Suga is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2020 to 2021. He had served as Chief Cabinet Secretary during the second administration ...

told reporters that the date was chosen to permit the old Emperor to be able to preside over the 30th anniversary Jubilee and to coincide with the Golden Week annual holiday period, turning the changeover from a period of mourning and makeshift ceremonial into a joyous, well-planned festival. Finally, on 8 December 2017, the government created a special committee to oversee the events. According to Suga, it would "deal with the matter properly, taking into consideration the possible impact on the people's lives."

Preparations for the imperial transition (2017–2019)

The committee met for the first time in January 2018, and the following month announced that a plan called a "basic policy statement" would be released on 3 April. Official farewell celebrations began with a 30th Jubilee ceremony on 12 February 2019, a delay which would avoid any implication of a celebration of the death of the Emperor Shōwa on 7 January.

Calendars

Since the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

in 1867, a new

Japanese era The or , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being "", meaning "origin, basis"), followed b ...

starts the day after the death of the previous emperor. However, in Emperor Akihito's case, manufacturers of calendars, forms, and other paper products needed to know the new era's name in advance to produce wares in a timely manner. While the era names for the

Shōwa Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

and

s were kept state secrets until the deaths of the previous emperors, that was not possible in this case, because an abdication had been unprecedented since the 1889

Meiji Constitution The Constitution of the Empire of Japan ( Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , ), known informally as the Meiji Constitution (, ''Meiji Kenpō''), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in ...

was adopted. In order to prevent divisive debate on the subject, delaying the announcement as late as was practically possibleeither the old Emperor's birthday or his jubilee celebrationshad been suggested. Until the era name became known, computers and software manufacturers needed to test their systems before the transition in order to ensure that the new era would be handled correctly by their software. Some systems provided test mechanisms to simulate a new era ahead of time. The new era name, , was revealed on 1 April 2019 by Chief Cabinet Secretary

during a televised press conference.

Imperial transition

On 30 April 2019, the Emperor formally announced his abdication during a ceremony at the

Tokyo Imperial Palace is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor h ...

. Akihito formally ceased to be emperor at midnight JST on the night between 30 April and 1 May, which heralded the beginning of the Reiwa era. He received the title of , an abbreviation of , upon abdicating, and his wife, the Empress, became . The formal accession ceremony of Emperor Naruhito took place the following morning.

Golden Week, 2019

The government consolidated the Golden Week into a special ten-day holiday block lasting from 27 April to 6 May. Even without the imperial transition, 29 April and 3–6 May were scheduled as national holidays in 2019, following the weekend of 27–28 April. To mark the imperial transition, the government determined that the abdication and enthronement would both be national holidays. Japanese law states that a regular work day sandwiched between two national holidays becomes a public holiday.

Enthronement Ceremony

The enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito took place at the Tokyo Imperial Palace on 22 October 2019, marking the end of the transition period. It was an extra holiday. It was attended by roughly 2,000 dignitaries, including heads of state and government and representatives of around 174 countries. The ceremony began at 9 am JST (02:00

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

) with the private ritual when the Emperor, dressed in white traditional court wear, visited the Kashiko-dokoro, the main sanctuary in the Tokyo Imperial Palace where the Sun Goddess is said to be enshrined. At 1 pm JST (06:00

), the main portion of the ceremony began. Emperor

wore the sokutai and

Empress Masako is Empress of Japan as the wife of Emperor Naruhito. Born in Tokyo, Masako was educated at Belmont High School in Massachusetts before attending Harvard College, earning a B.A., ''magna cum laude'', in economics. She also studied law at t ...

wore the

jūnihitoe The , more formally known as the , is a style of formal court dress first worn in the Heian period by noble women and Lady-in-waiting, ladies-in-waiting at the Japanese Imperial Court. The was composed of a number of kimono-like robes, layered o ...

. They took their places on the 6.5-metre (21-foot) Takamikura throne at the Matsu-no-Ma (Pine Hall), and the Emperor gave a speech which emphasized his role as the symbol of the State. The speech then followed by a congratulatory speech by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...

and three cheers of banzai. A state banquet hosted by the new Emperor was organized later in the day.

Post-enthronement parade

A parade to celebrate Naruhito's enthronement as Emperor took place on 10 November at 3 pm local time (06:00

) as tens of thousands of people gathered in the city centre of Tokyo waving the Japanese flag. The Emperor and Empress used a

Toyota Century The is a lineup of full-size luxury cars and limousines produced mainly for the Japanese market, serving as Toyota's Flagship#Automotive, flagship car within Japan; globally the unrelated Lexus LS series is Toyota's flagship luxury model. Pro ...

convertible, which was followed by vehicles with Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Crown Princess Kiko as well as Shinzō Abe. The procession forming a 400-metre motorcade was started from Tokyo Imperial Palace, passed the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the main gate of the Diet building before arriving at the couple's residence in the Akasaka Imperial Grounds on the 4.6-kilometre-long (3-mile-long) route.

Timeline

;

2010

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...

informs his advisory council that he would like to abdicate eventually and asks for their help in arranging this.

2016

* July: Emperor Akihito leaks to the press his wishes to abdicate. * 13 July:

reports his wishes to the public. * 8 August: The Emperor makes address to the public on television and radio implying the above wish. * September:

appoints a committee to investigate the legal ramifications of a possible abdication.

2017

*12 January: Public debate on abdication in the

Budget committee. *11 May: A report of a joint committee of the National Diet recommends a one-off bill to facilitate the first imperial abdication in two centuries. *19 May: Third Abe Cabinet (Second Reshuffle) introduces the Emperor abdication bill. *2 June: The abdication bill passes the

(Lower House of the

). *9 June: The abdication bill passes the

(Upper House of the National Diet). *November: The Cabinet suggests that 30 April 2019 will be an appropriate date of abdication. *1 December: The

, which has not met in a quarter century, does so and approves the date suggested. *8 December: The Cabinet approves the date, authorizing the creation of an "imperial transition committee" to oversee the ceremonies involved, with Chief Cabinet Secretary

as chairman.

2018

*January: The committee meets for the first time. *20 February: Preliminary paper on official ceremonials issued stating that the abdication will be a state occasion. *3 April: White Paper on official ceremonials is issued by the committee. *23 December: The final celebration of Akihito's birthday as the Emperor.

2019

*8 January: 30th Anniversary Jubilee begins with commemoration ceremonies for the

Emperor Shōwa , posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigning emperor as well as one of the world's longest-rei ...

. Start of official farewell celebrations for Emperor Akihito. *14 February: A survey was listed out for suggestions about Naruhito's era name. *24 February: 30th Jubilee of Akihito celebrations at the National Theater. *25 February: The

announces that Akihito and Michiko's English titles upon abdication will be ''His Imperial Majesty'' The Emperor Emeritus and ''Her Imperial Majesty'' The Empress Emerita, respectively. *12 March: Traditional private abdication ceremonies and rituals began with the ''Kashikodokoro-ni-Taii-oyobi-sono-Kijitsu-Hōkoku-no-gi'' ceremony. ** in which Emperor Akihito reports his abdication to the sun goddess

Amaterasu , often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...

-ōmikami at the ''Kashiko-dokoro'' of the Three Palace Sanctuaries of the Imperial Palace. ** in which Emperor Akihito reports his abdication to the

Ancestral Spirits The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

of the Imperial Family from one year after their death and the from

Takamagahara In Japanese mythology, , also read as Takaamanohara, Takamanohara, Takaamagahara, or Takaamahara, is the abode of the heavenly gods (''amatsukami''). Often depicted as located up in the sky, it is believed to be connected to the Earth by the bridge ...

and from

Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contac ...

at the ''Kōrei-den'' and ''Shin-den'' of the Three Palace Sanctuaries of the Imperial Palace respectively. ** in which Imperial messengers and

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

are sent to the

Ise Grand Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...

, the mausoleum of

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Kashihara 280px, Kashihara City Hall is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,674 in 56,013 households, and a population density of 3000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . A number of histor ...

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

. *1 April: The new

Era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

is approved by the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

, and is officially announced to the world by Chief Cabinet Secretary

as . *18 April: The Emperor and Empress pay respects at the

Ise Ise may refer to: Places *Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie * Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria * Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan *River Ise, a tributary of the ...

Mie Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture an ...

. *21 April: Local elections happen in Japan. *23 April: The Emperor and Empress pay respects at the mausoleum of his late father,

, at the

Musashi Imperial Graveyard is a mausoleum complex of the Japanese Emperors in Nagabusa-machi, Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. Located within a forest in the western suburbs of Tokyo and named for the ancient Musashi Province, the site contains the mausolea of Emperor Taishō ...

Hachiōji is a Cities of Japan, city located in the Western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 561,344, and a population density of 3,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. *27 April: Extra Holiday: Start of Golden Week holiday season. *28 April: Extra Holiday *29 April:

Shōwa Day is a public holiday in Japan held on April 29. It honors the birthday of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), the reigning emperor from 1926 to 1989. Shō (昭) means "shining" or "bright", and wa (和) means "peace", signifying the "enlightened peace" ...

*30 April: Emperor Akihito announces his resignation from the throne and receives audience with the representatives of the people for the last time during a relatively brief ceremony in the Pine Hall (''Matsu-no-Ma''); the ceremony also featured two of the

Three Sacred Treasures The are the imperial regalia of Japan and consist of the sword , the mirror , and the jewel . They represent the three primary virtues: valour (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel).

, and the Privy Seal and State Seal. Akihito becomes the first Jōkō since 1840.

Heisei The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when hi ...

era comes to an end. ;

*1 May: Beginning of the

and accession date of Emperor

. ** Emperor Naruhito inherits two of the three

Imperial Regalia of Japan The are the imperial regalia of Japan and consist of the sword , the mirror , and the jewel . They represent the three primary virtues: valour (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel).

, as well as the Privy Seal and State Seal. This ceremony also takes place in the Hall of Pines. ** in which Emperor Naruhito meets for the first time with the representatives of the people. *2 May: Extra Holiday *3 May: Constitution Memorial Day *4 May:

Greenery Day The present observation of as a public holiday in Japan stems from the celebration of the birthday of the Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito, who lived from 1901 to 1989) on April 29 every year during the Shōwa era (1926–1989). In 1989, following the ...

*5 May:

Children's Day Children's Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in honour of children, whose date of observance varies by country. In 1925, International Children's Day was first proclaimed in Geneva during the World Conference on Child Welfare. Sin ...

*6 May: Extra Holiday: End of Golden Week Celebrations. *22 October: Enthronement Ceremony ** in which Emperor Naruhito proclaims the enthronement and receives felicitations from representatives of the people from at home and abroad. *22, 25, 29, 31 October: Court banquets to celebrate the enthronement and receive congratulations from guests. *10 November (rescheduled from 22 October): Procession to show and receive good wishes from the people by motor car. *14–15 November:

2020

*23 February: The first celebration of Naruhito's birthday as the Emperor. *8 November (rescheduled from 19 April):

was promoted to kōshi (a rank equivalent to crown prince).

Ceremonies

The following table lists abdication and

enthronement An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. Enthronements may also feature as part of a larger coronation rite. In ...

ceremonies in chronological order. Private ceremonies are listed as "Private". State acts are listed as "Public".

References

{{Reflist

External links

Ceremonies and Rites related to the Imperial Succession (the Imperial Household Agency)Ceremonies and Rites related to the Imperial Succession (the Cabinet Public Relations Office, Cabinet Secretariat)
Abdication April 2019 in Japan Imperial House of Japan 2019 in Japanese politics Japanese imperial history