The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Emperor, Empress to attend state funeral
e Emperor and Empress will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, scheduled to be held Sept. 19 in London, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
It is highly unusual for a Japanese emperor to attend a funeral in a foreign country, and this will be the current Emperor’s rst trip abroad since his enthronement.
“e British royal family and the Imperial family of our country have had close relations for some time,” Matsuno said. “In particular, Queen Elizabeth interacted with three generations during her 70-year reign: Emperor Showa, the Emperor Emeritus and the current Emperor.”
Matsuno said the government also took into account the fact that the Imperial couple had been invited by the queen to visit the United Kingdom before the pandemic.
e Emperor and Empress will depart for Britain on Sept. 17 and return to Japan on Sept. 20, Matsuno said. According to a source close to the situation, an invitation to the state funeral was sent from the British royal family, and the government was making arrangements.
is will be the second time an emperor of Japan has attended a funeral overseas. e previous occasion was in 1993 when the then Emperor, now the Emperor Emeritus, visited Belgium for the state funeral of King Baudouin, with whom he had a long-standing friendship.
Matsuno said there were no plans for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida or other government o cials to attend the queen’s funeral. (Sept. 15)
KISHIDA OFFERS CONDOLENCES
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sept. 9 o ered his deep condolences over the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
“I can’t help but feel deep sorrow,” Kishida told reporters at the Prime Minister’s O ce. “I extend my sincere condolences on behalf of the Japanese government.”
Regarding the queen’s achievements, Kishida said, “She reigned for 70 years, the longest in British history, and played an extremely important role in the peace and prosperity of the world.” (Sept. 10)