Charles sees Japan’s emperor enthroned

THE Prince of Wales witnessed a centuries-old ceremony as Japan’s Emperor Naruhito proclaimed his ascension to the country’s throne.

Charles, 70, was among scores of foreign dignitaries attending the elaborate event at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo yesterday – marking the high point of several ceremonies declaring Naruhito Japan’s 126th emperor.

Other representatives of Europan royal houses included Queen Letizia of Spain, the Netherlands’ Queen Maxima and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

The prince’s two-day visit was undertaken on behalf of the Queen at the request of the UK Government and will also include a day of engagements to celebrate British-Japanese ties, said Clarence House.

Emperor Naruhito, 59, acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne in May after his father, Emperor Akihito, became the first Japanese monarch in more than two centuries to abdicate.

But his ascension has only now been formalised after the traditional ceremony, which lasted around 30 minutes in front of 2,000 guests.

As the ceremony began, purple curtains were drawn back to reveal Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, 55, dressed in elaborate costumes and seated on thrones.

Conducted largely in silence, the ritual saw a sacred sword and jewel placed alongside Naruhito, representing imperial traditions dating back to the 7th century.

It comes as Japan, which is currently hosting the Rugby World Cup, recovers from Typhoon Hagibis, which left around 80 people dead.

A celebration parade was pushed back to November 10 after the deadly storm caused extensive damage.

Charles will be at a dinner today hosted by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who marked the occasion by pardoning 550,000 people convicted of petty crimes such as traffic violations.

When Naruhito’s grandfather, Hirohito, died in 1989, more than 10 million people were pardoned and 2.5 million were granted amnesties.