Thousands of Japanese gathered in the streets of Tokyo to follow the inauguration process of the country's new emperor Naruhito and his wife Masako.
The emperor's convoy took to the streets of Tokyo for a six-kilometer journey from the Imperial Palace, then to the parliament building, ending at the Emperor's residence in Akasaka.
This is the first show of the emperor and his wife since their marriage in 1993, and is seen by the Japanese as the culmination of the ascendancy and a rare opportunity to see the emperor.
Emperor Naruhito, 59, ascended to the throne in May, succeeding his father Akihito, who became the first emperor to abdicate in nearly 200 years.
The procession was originally scheduled for October 22, when the emperor was officially crowned in front of a crowd of dignitaries from some 190 countries, but was postponed due to the aftermath of a devastating typhoon that ravaged Japan.
| The emperor and his wife were smiling during the coronation procession (Reuters) |
Waving and smiles
The Emperor and Empress, who graduated from Harvard University and worked in the diplomatic corps, waved people from a Toyota convertible that wandered through the streets of the city, which was lined with spectators, and the police were heavily deployed.
The empress wore a white dress, wearing a crown crowned by the former empress. Masako sat shortly before the scheduled start of the procession at 15:00 local time (0600 GMT) next to her husband, wearing a Western-style suit, and were in a black car made in Japan.
The emperor and his wife appeared smiling throughout the show, greeting the crowd.
Tens of thousands of people gathered to watch the procession along its course, some lined since yesterday to ensure a good place to watch.
| Thousands rallied with Japanese flags and sought to document moments on their phones (Reuters) |
Historical moment
"I wanted to be at the forefront to witness this historic moment with my own eyes and to see the emperor's smile and the empress," said Hyori Okazaki, who stood in front of the imperial palace yesterday. "I couldn't wait. I came last night."
Bands played festive pieces as the 400-meter-long procession of 46 cars carrying Crown Prince Akishino, Princess Keiko, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and others moved.
Authorities earmarked about 16.1 billion yen ($ 147 million) for the ceremonies accompanying the coronation during the year, 30 percent more than the cost of celebrations to take Akihito to the throne 30 years ago.