TOKYO: Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako hosted a garden party at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo on Thursday, the first such event in four and a half years.

It was the first garden party to be held since the Emperor ascended the throne in 2019.

About 1,300 guests were invited, including wheelchair tennis star Shingo Kunieda, a 2021 Tokyo Paralympics gold medalist, table tennis player Mima Ito, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in the mixed doubles event, and Akira Yoshino, who was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The garden party is usually held every spring and autumn, with some 2,000 notable figures in their respective fields invited as guests. The event had been called off since autumn 2018 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ceremonies related to Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement.

As precautions against the novel coronavirus, the number of guests was reduced, and attendees were served only nonalcoholic drinks. 

JIJI Press