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Emperor, Empress parade in Tokyo to cheers of crowds

The imperial couple set out in a luxury convertible sedan along a 4.6-kilometer route from the Imperial Palace. (AFP)
The imperial couple set out in a luxury convertible sedan along a 4.6-kilometer route from the Imperial Palace. (AFP)
The imperial couple set out in a luxury convertible sedan along a 4.6-kilometer route from the Imperial Palace. (AFP)
The imperial couple set out in a luxury convertible sedan along a 4.6-kilometer route from the Imperial Palace. (AFP)
Tight security are in place, with police conducting ID checks at buildings along the route and baggage inspections at dozens of locations from the morning. (AFP)
Tight security are in place, with police conducting ID checks at buildings along the route and baggage inspections at dozens of locations from the morning. (AFP)
Throngs of people traveled to the capital from across the nation to witness the pageant. (AFP)
Throngs of people traveled to the capital from across the nation to witness the pageant. (AFP)
10 Nov 2019 07:11:25 GMT9
10 Nov 2019 07:11:25 GMT9

Tokyo

With crowds of jubilant well-wishers cheering, waving flags and taking pictures at roadside, Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako rode through central Tokyo on Sunday to celebrate the Emperor's enthronement.

Under a clear autumn sky, the Emperor, 59, and the Empress, 55, were all smiles in a black customized convertible of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Century, waving to the throngs who descended on the capital from across the nation to witness the pageant.

The "Shukuga-Onrestu-no-Gi" parade was the first procession for the Imperial couple since a parade after their marriage in June 1993.

An estimated 119,000 people lined the procession route, more than the 117,000 who turned out for the 1990 parade for the Emperor's parents, then Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Emperor Naruhito, wearing a black tailcoat with medals including the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, and Empress Masako, in a white long dress with a tiara and a medal, left the Imperial Palace at around 3 p.m. (6 a.m. GMT), to the performance of a march composed by Yukio Kitahara, conductor of the Imperial Household Agency's music department.

They spent some 30 minutes traveling about 4.6 kilometers to their residence at the Akasaka Estate under heightened security. In reaction to cheers and applause from the crowds, Empress Masako became teary-eyed at one point during the parade.

The 400-meter motorcade, consisting of about 50 vehicles, included Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of the Emperor, and Crown Princess Kiko, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

At roadside, musical bands, including of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Self-Defense Forces, played a march written by composer Ikuma Dan to commemorate the couple's marriage.

To ensure security, the MPD deployed as many as 26,000 officers along the procession route, with cooperation from police departments from across the nation.

The parade was originally slated to take place on Oct. 22 following the "Sokuirei-Seiden-no-Gi" ceremony the same day to proclaim the Emperor's ascension to the throne. But it was pushed back to give precedence to efforts to address damage from Typhoon Hagibis, which wreaked havoc in central and eastern Japan in October.

Emperor Naruhito took the throne on May 1, the day after the abdication of his father, now Emperor Emeritus Akihito.

The parade was held as an act of the Emperor in matters of state under the Constitution. It was the last of the five such ceremonies linked to his enthronement.

[Jiji Press]

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