TOKYO – Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally proclaimed his ascendancy to the throne in a centuries-old ceremony, pledging to fulfill his duty as a symbol of the state.
Naruhito became emperor and his wife Masako became empress on May 1 in a brief ceremony, but the “Sokui no Rei” was a more elaborate ritual at the royal palace in which he officially announced his change in status to the world with over 180 countries which attended the ceremony on Tuesday.
The first Japanese emperor born after World War Two, Naruhito acceded to the throne when his father, Akihito, became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in two centuries after worrying that advancing age might make it hard to perform official duties.(Reuters)
