Tokyo, (ST) – Crown Prince Akishino was formally declared first in line to the chrysanthemum throne on Sunday , after his older brother Naruhito became emperor of the country last year when their father abdicated the throne.
Crown Prince Akishino was formally declared first in line to the chrysanthemum throne on Sunday and vowed to fulfilll his duties at a ceremony in Tokyo that had been postponed for seven months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Emperor Naruhito, dressed in a traditional dark orange robe, proclaimed his younger brother as crown prince to the people of Japan and the world at the Rikkoshi Senmei no Gi ceremony held in the morning at the Matsu no Ma stateroom of the Imperial Palace, more than a year after Naruhito ascended to the throne in May last year.
“I will carry out my duties by deeply acknowledging my responsibilities as crown prince,” the 54-year-old Akishino said, reading from a script in front of the emperor and Empress Masako.
The ceremony was part of the Rikkoshi no Rei rite, which concludes a series of imperial succession rituals following the abdication in April last year of Emperor Akihito, 86, the father of the emperor and the crown prince and the first Japanese monarch to step down in over 200 years.
The crown prince was joined by his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, 54, dressed in traditional court attire of kimono and a hakama skirt, in the rite. It was held in front of other adult members of the imperial family and 46 guests, most of whom wore face masks as a measure against the novel coronavirus.
Raghda Sawas