His Majesties, see off all the regular events that take place throughout the country

His Majesties, all the regular events that take place all over the country are postponed July 19 at 19:36

With the impact of the new coronavirus, the imperial family's activities have been significantly reduced, and the "national affluent sea-making tournament" planned in Miyagi Prefecture will not be held this year. All the Majesties the Majesties will attend throughout the country will be forgotten.

Due to the spread of the infection, two of the four events, including the opening ceremony of the National Athletic Meet and National Athletic Meet held every year by Majesties, will be postponed to next year with the exception of the "national rich sea making competition". The deferral of the holding of Shino was decided.

According to the people involved, the sea-building competition in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, which had been considered until the end, is expected to be postponed, and postponement to next year or later is being considered.

Consideration will be given to whether the event will be possible on September 27 after taking measures to prevent infection, such as drastically reducing the number of attendees. If realized, His Majesties will also have a day trip to the event and will be affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. It was also considered to exchange words.

Due to the postponement of the event, all the events held by the Majesties the Majesties will be forgotten.

This is the first time that all the regular visits by the emperor to the local government have been eliminated under the post-war symbolic emperor system.

While the new coronavirus makes it harder to interact with people, His Majesties invited experts from various fields and people who correspond to them to listen to their stories and send their words to the people. It continues.

In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Akishino are also searching for the activities of the imperial family, such as using videophones to hear from many experts.

First visit to a local

Local visits accompanying attending annual events such as national tree-planting festivals and the opening ceremony of the national polity have played a major role in the establishment of the symbolic emperor system after the war.

These visits date back to the 2nd National Athletic Meet held in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1922 when the Japanese Constitution came into effect and the Emperor became a “symbol”.

Participation in the opening ceremony of the national polity is regularly made in the form of the 4th national polity two years later, in which the Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun all attend, and from the following year 1945, it will be the predecessor of the national tree-planting festival. Attendance has started.

Emperor Showa attended all the events held all over the country every time, except when he/she canceled his visit due to a disaster or his physical condition.

Since the beginning of Heisei, in addition to the tree-planting festival and the national polity, the emperor has also joined the annual events that make up the rich sea nationwide, and the accompanying visits will be called the "Three Great Yuuki Kei."

These visits were an important opportunity for the Empress and Empress to come into direct contact with the people, and the event was not canceled during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake or the Great East Japan Earthquake.

In addition, the Emperor's Majesty's largest cultural festival, the National Culture Festival, has been attended by the Emperor since the time of the Crown Prince. , Visited each prefecture in Niigata.

This year, I was planning to visit Shimane Prefecture at the National Tree-Planting Festival, Kagoshima Prefecture at the National Athletic Meet, Miyagi Prefecture at the National Sea Festival, and Miyazaki Prefecture at the National Cultural Festival and the National Arts and Cultural Festival for the Disabled. Due to the spread of new coronavirus infection, this year's event will be postponed.

This is the first time that all the regular visits by the emperor to the local government have been eliminated under the post-war symbolic emperor system.

Expert "Really unusual"

Hideya Kasai, an associate professor at Nagoya University, who is studying the symbolic emperor system, said, "After the war, the emperor went all over the country to interact with each other, and the national polity and tree-planting festival were incorporated into it. Unlike the prewar days when the Emperor was like a god, it was an opportunity for the people to imagine what a symbol is like this."

After that, he said, "There was a historical flow in which it was meaningful for the people and the emperor to actually meet, and there is now in the process of building up. Going out to the rural areas, meeting people, interacting and talking As a result, people have gained a sense of respect and familiarity, and the symbolic emperor is gradually solidifying. At the same time, it has become clear to the people that the symbolic emperor is like this."

“It's really unusual to not only attend an event, but to see the area and visit various places such as welfare facilities. It is truly unusual that such an opportunity disappears. , There will be a need to adapt it."