TOKYO: Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako will take part in a parade on Sunday in central Tokyo to celebrate the emperor’s enthronement earlier this year.
From 3 p.m local time the imperial couple will set out in a luxury convertible sedan along a 4.6-kilometer route from the Imperial Palace.
The couple’s first parade since their marriage in 1993 was pushed back nearly three weeks in consideration of the hardships people have been suffering in the wake of deadly Typhoon Hagibis last month.
The convertible carrying the 59-year-old emperor and the 55-year-old empress will be followed by vehicles containing Crown Prince Fumihito — the younger brother of the emperor — and his wife Crown Princess Kiko as well as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The procession of some 50 vehicles in total forming a 400-meter motorcade will pass by the Metropolitan Police Department and the main gate of the Diet building before arriving at the couple’s residence in the Akasaka Estate.
Tight security will be in place, with police conducting ID checks at buildings along with the route and baggage inspections at dozens of locations from the morning.
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Emperor Naruhito ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, the day after his father, former Emperor Akihito became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in about 200 years.
The black Toyota Motor Corp. Century being used in the parade was picked from a pool of cars from five automakers, taking safety and environmental performance into consideration among other factors, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
The vehicle bearing the imperial chrysanthemum crest is estimated to have cost around 80 million yen ($750,000), including remodeling expenses, according to the agency.
The emperor officially proclaimed his enthronement on Oct. 22 before some 2,000 Japanese and foreign dignitaries in the “Sokuirei Seiden no gi” ceremony, equivalent to a coronation.
The parade was initially scheduled to take place on the same day as the ceremony but was put off after the typhoon lashed wide areas including Tokyo and left 89 people dead and six people missing. It also flooded tens of thousands of homes.
On Oct. 15, the couple released a statement offering condolences to the victims and wishing for a swift recovery. The government formally decided on the postponement of the parade, a state occasion, three days later.
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