Emperor Naruhito Current Events Part 1: May 2019 -

[Prisma]

These are shocking numbers: an increase from 4 to 11 online meetings in a year time?! What are they doing the rest of the year (as the previous sentence stated that he could not meet people or attend events either)?

Scaled-down audiences, government and ambassador ceremonies, briefings, court rituals, welcoming new IHA and Imperial Guard staff, court rituals, Diet openings, etc.

Their Majesties schedule is available at https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/page/gonittei/top/2

I agree the number of online meetings with the public is low. The IHA could be making online meetings more complicated than they need to be.

More 62nd birthday info

Photos: Asahi, AP Images

Crown Princess Kiko entering the Imperial Palace. I don't know why the Crown Prince couple need to arrive separately. They greet the Emperor and Empress around 10:30am.





Birthday Ceremonies for Emperor Naruhito Scaled Down | Nippon.com

[...]

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako received congratulations at the palace from Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko as well as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who gave a celebratory speech.

[...]

A visit by the Imperial couple to Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko was canceled. There was no lunch with guests or tea party with foreign ambassadors.

 

[Prisma]

On March 21st, Emperor Naruhito's video message was played at the 9th World Water Forum conference in Dakar, Senegal. The message was recorded on March 11.

Photos: Mainichi, Sankei

English: https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/page/okotoba/detailEn/90#351

Japan's Emperor Sends Video Message to World Water Forum | Nippon.com

[...]

In the 10-minute video, shown at the opening ceremony Monday, the Emperor referred to tasks that the world needs to resolve in connection with water, such as climate change, infectious diseases and water supplies in areas hit by disasters and conflicts.

He expressed hopes that dialogue at the conference and elsewhere will facilitate better mutual understanding across national and regional borders and lead to a peaceful world.

[...]

 

[Prisma]

On March 25th, Emperor Naruhito attended the credential presentation ceremony of Rahm Emanuel, US ambassador to Japan, at the Imperial Palace. Other American Embassy officials were also introduced. The emperor and ambassador spoke for about 10 minutes after the ceremony.

Photo: Ambassador Emanuel Presents His Credentials - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan

 

[Prisma]

On April 19th, Emperor Naruhito sowed "Nihonmasari" rice and "Mangetsumochi" glutenous rice seeds in the rice paddy next to the biology institute on the Imperial Palace grounds. He carefully sowed about 700 seeds into 30cm squares. The harvested rice will be used at rituals such as Niiname-sai at the Palace Sanctuaries and offered to Ise Jingu.

Photos: Sankei, Mainichi

 

[Prisma]

On May 10th, Emperor Naruhito presented spring honors to 18 people at the Imperial Palace "Matsu no Ma" stateroom. Recipients include former Speaker of the House of Representative Bunmei Ibuki, former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, and the Emperor's former grand chamberlain Nobutake Odano.

Photos/info: AP Images, Sankei






Nobutake Odano (3rd from left) received the Order of the Sacred Treasure

 

[Prisma]

On May 18th, Emperor Naruhito planted rice seedlings in the patty field at the Imperial Palace. FNN reports rice planting was rescheduled from the 17th due to rain.

Photos: Asahi

Emperor plants rice seedlings at Imperial Palace paddy field | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

[...] Wearing a long-sleeved shirt, trousers and black rubber boots, the Emperor entered the 240-square-meter paddy field on Wednesday afternoon.

The Emperor planted 20 seedlings, which grew from seeds he sowed last month. The seedlings are now about 15 centimeters tall. [...]

 

[iceflower]

Emperor Naruhito received US President Joe Biden for a meeting at the Imperial Palace today, May 23:


** gettyimages gallery ** rex gallery **

 

[Prisma]

The Imperial Household Agency provided a longer video of Emperor Naruhito's meeting with President Biden.

 

[Prisma]

On June 24th, Emperor Naruhito attended investiture and appointment ceremonies at the Imperial Palace for 7 officials including the Chief Supreme Court Justice and Chief Prosecutor.

Photos: Sankei Imperial Weekly 750, Asahi

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Has the emperor not made any comment about ex-prime minister Abe's assassination? I wondered if he would, but perhaps that is just because I am most familiar with European monarchies where the monarch would be expected to comment on such tragedies.

 

[Prisma]

Has the emperor not made any comment about ex-prime minister Abe's assassination? I wondered if he would, but perhaps that is just because I am most familiar with European monarchies where the monarch would be expected to comment on such tragedies.

Nothing yet... I only see articles about world leaders sending condolences to Emperor Naruhito about former prime minister Shinzo Abe's assassination.

I suspect the IHA is figuring out what to do. They could mention Emperor Naruhito's response at the next agency press conference? Emperor Akihito addressed to nation 5 days after the 2011 earthquake-tsunami. I'm not sure former PM Abe's assassination will get an address. Maybe a written response? Although such statements are usually limited to birthday press releases. Mako's statements about her marriage plans and Yohko's recent handwritten letter to media are rare.

Emperor Naruhito or any Imperial family member, who has a public speaking event, will probably mention Abe in their next speech.

 

[lucien]

Nothing yet... I only see articles about world leaders sending condolences to Emperor Naruhito about former prime minister Shinzo Abe's assassination.

I suspect the IHA is figuring out what to do. They could mention Emperor Naruhito's response at the next agency press conference? Emperor Akihito addressed to nation 5 days after the 2011 earthquake-tsunami. I'm not sure former PM Abe's assassination will get an address. Maybe a written response? Although such statements are usually limited to birthday press releases. Mako's statements about her marriage plans and Yohko's recent handwritten letter to media are rare.

Emperor Naruhito or any Imperial family member, who has a public speaking event, will probably mention Abe in their next speech.

Indeed,if the Emperor will mention the murder is entirely up to the IHA,nobody else...unfortunately..
the IHA,an out of date institution founded by US Gen. McArthur,,
but,as I said, totally out of place and date now.

 

[wartenberg7]

Indeed,if the Emperor will mention the murder is entirely up to the IHA,nobody else...unfortunately..
the IHA,an out of date institution founded by US Gen. McArthur,,
but,as I said, totally out of place and date now.

I didn´t know it was an invention of this US General - I actually thought the IH was as old as the japanese monarchy itself...?!
Well, I guess it is regarded as "unappropriate" for the Emperor to comment on a death of a (former!) PM and that he would only do so if a foreign close head of state would have died. Perhaps, as Abe was a politician, they leave it to the political class to comment or express their sorrow...!

 

[Tatiana Maria]

I didn´t know it was an invention of this US General - I actually thought the IH was as old as the japanese monarchy itself...?!

You are quite right. For obvious pragmatic reasons, every monarchy in history, and in the present day, utilized some form of a household/court, and Japan is no exception. The preceding claim that the existence of a household agency was invented by Americans is not plausible.

The 1889 Imperial House Law contains regulations providing for the role of the Minister of the Imperial Household.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Imperial_Household_Law_(1889)

 

[iceflower]

Emperor Naruhito attended the opening ceremony of an extraordinary session of the Diet in Tokyo today, August 3:


** rex gallery ** gettyimages gallery 1 ** gettyimages gallery 2 **

 

[Prisma]

Thanks!

He'll be back soon since this 209th session was 3 days. Maybe the 210th session will open next month after summer break?

LDP gets away with short Diet session; no time for big questions | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

The extraordinary Diet session that began Aug. 3 will end on Aug. 5, leaving no time to address growing concerns about ties between politicians and the Unification Church or the current wave of the COVID-19 pandemic now sweeping Japan.

[...]

Common practice for an extraordinary Diet session held soon after an Upper House election, in this case July 10, mainly revolves around deciding on the chamber president and vice president. [...]

 

[Prisma]

On August 8th, Emperor Naruhito met Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres at the Imperial residence in Tokyo. When Guterres was UN High Commissioner for Refugees, he met Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako 3 times.

Photos: Asahi

https://twitter.com/x/status/1556500760438796289

 

[Prisma]

On August 10th, Emperor Naruhito attended the attestation ceremonies at the Imperial Palace for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's reshuffled Cabinet.

Getty Images

 

[Prisma]

On September 6th, Emperor Naruhito harvested rice from the paddy field next to the biology research institute at the Imperial Palace. Some of the rice will be sent to Ise Jingu and offered at court rituals.

Photos: Asahi

Emperor harvests rice in Imperial Palace paddy field - The Japan News

[...] Wearing rubber boots and wielding a sickle, the Emperor harvested two rice varieties — Nihon Masari and Mangetsu Mochi.

[...]

Part of the crop will be offered during a Kanname-sai harvest ritual at Ise Jingu shrine in October.

On September 8th, Emperor Naruhito sent a video message to the opening ceremony of the 13th Congress of the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology held in Kyoto. The message was recorded on the afternoon of September 2.

Photo: Jiji, Sankei

 

[Prisma]

On September 7th, Emperor Naruhito attended the credential presentation ceremony of Ambassador of Maldives to Japan Hassan Sobir at the Imperial Palace.

Photo: https://www.gov.mv/en/news-and-comm...is-letter-of-credence-to-the-emperor-of-japan

During the formal ceremony, the Emperor welcomed Ambassador Sobir and congratulated him on his appointment. Ambassador Sobir conveyed the warm greetings and good wishes of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and the people of the Maldives to Emperor Naruhito and expressed assurances of his commitment to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral relations between Maldives and Japan.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1567770449211453440

 

[Prisma]

On September 16th, Emperor Naruhito attended the 100th anniversary ceremony of Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) at the Tokyo International Forum in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.

Empress Masako did not attend the ceremony in order to prepare for the UK visit.

Photo/info: AP Images, Jiji, NTV

 

[Prisma]

On September 28th, Emperor Naruhito had audiences with 7 heads of state who attended the state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the previous day. He met each dignitary for 15 minutes at the Imperial Palace "Take no ma" (Bamboo room).

- King Abdullah of Jordan
- President Gnassingbe of Togo
- President Azali of the Comoros
- Emir Tamim of Qatar
- President Whips of Palau
- President Phuc of Vietnam
- President Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka

NHK

AP Images

 

[Prisma]

Japan Emperor Naruhito Meets with 7 Foreign Leaders - Nippon.com

[...]

The foreign leaders expressed their condolences over the death of Abe while Emperor Naruhito thanked them for visiting Japan to attend Abe’s state funeral, which was held on Tuesday, according to the Imperial Household Agency. Some of the foreign leaders invited the Emperor to visit their countries.

Emperor meets heads of state from 7 countries - The Japan News

[...]

Some of the heads of state officially invited the Emperor and the Empress to their countries. To the emir of Qatar, where the soccer World Cup will kick off in November, the Emperor expressed his wish for the success of the event.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Emperor has refrained from shaking hands with foreign dignitaries, but he shook hands with the heads of state, believing the risk of infection would be low if both parties wore masks given the present state of coronavirus infections.

ETA: Vietnamese President meets with Japanese Emperor in Tokyo

He also extended an invitation from Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and himself to the Japanese Emperor and Empress to visit Việt Nam on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023. He held that the visit will hold significant importance to the countries’ relations.

 

[Prisma]

On October 3rd, Emperor Naruhito attended the opening ceremony of the 210th extraordinary Diet session at the National Diet building in Tokyo.
Photos: AP Images, Getty


On the same day, the Imperial Household Agency announced Emperor Naruhito will undergo a prostate MRI in early November. Blood tests indicate a "slightly worrying trend" and "the PSA numbers are slightly higher than normal" in examinations so far.

Emperor Naruhito has no subjective symptoms and continues life as usual. He has health checkups every 6 months.

The PSA test is a tumor marker used for early detection of prostate cancer, and the value rises when prostate tissue is destroyed by cancer or inflammation.

Sources: FNN, NTV, Jiji

Sending wishes for good health. Hope it's nothing.

ETA: English articles

Emperor Naruhito to undergo prostate scan | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

... The agency said on Monday that the level of a protein called PSA in his blood sample was a little higher than normal.

Agency officials say arrangements are underway for the Emperor to undergo an MRI scan early next month, and that the result will be made public...

Japan emperor to undergo prostate exam as tumor marker level rises - Kyodo News

[...]

It added he has no symptoms but his prostate specific antigen level is slightly higher than normal and is "showing a slightly worrying movement."

In 2007, the emperor had endoscopic surgery to remove a benign duodenal polyp, but he has not had any other medical conditions.

His father, former Emperor Akihito, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2002, undergoing surgery to remove it in 2003.

 

[Blog Real]

On October 3rd, Emperor Naruhito attended the opening ceremony of the 210th extraordinary Diet session at the National Diet building in Tokyo.
Photos: AP Images, Getty


On the same day, the Imperial Household Agency announced Emperor Naruhito will undergo a prostate MRI in early November. Blood tests indicate a "slightly worrying trend" and "the PSA numbers are slightly higher than normal" in examinations so far.

Emperor Naruhito has no subjective symptoms and continues life as usual. He has health checkups every 6 months.

The PSA test is a tumor marker used for early detection of prostate cancer, and the value rises when prostate tissue is destroyed by cancer or inflammation.

Sources: FNN, NTV, Jiji

Sending wishes for good health. Hope it's nothing.

ETA: English articles

Emperor Naruhito to undergo prostate scan | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Japan emperor to undergo prostate exam as tumor marker level rises - Kyodo News

This news is a little worrying. But I hope it's nothing serious. Good health wishes to Emperor Naruhito.

 

[Prisma]

On October 25th, Emperor Naruhito attended an attestation ceremony for new economic revitalization minister Shigeyuki Goto at the Imperial Palace's Matsu-no-Ma room in Tokyo.

Getty Images

Sankei 10/25 reported Emperor Naruhito attended the appointment ceremonies and audiences with 12 Japanese ambassadors to Palau, Lebanon, Mauritania, Moldova, Cyprus, Bangladesh, East Timor, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Guinea, Permanent Mission of Japan to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Bolivia. He also met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the morning and had office work.

 

[Prisma]

On October 28th, Emperor Naruhito met President Luis Lacalle Pou of Uruguay for about 30 minutes at the Imperial Palace’s Take no Ma room. His Majesty asked about Uruguay's renewable energy which supplies most of the country’s electricity. Japan and Uruguay celebrated 100 years of diplomatic relations last year. When seeing off the president, Emperor Naruhito used English and Spanish to say goodbye.

Photos: AP Images, Sankei

Emperor meets with Uruguayan President over renewable energy talks - The Japan News

[...]

His Majesty asked how Uruguay had achieved 98% of its electricity from renewable energy sources. The president answered that the entire country worked on renewable energy since there are no oil resources in Uruguay.

[...]

 

[Prisma]

On October 28th, Emperor Naruhito attended the credential presentation ceremony of Ambassador Atadurdy Bayramov of Turkmenistan to Japan at the Imperial Palace.

The Ambassador of Turkmenistan presented his credentials to the Emperor of Japan - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan

[...]

Emperor Naruhito, in his turn, asked the Ambassador to convey the warmest and friendly greetings to the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and expressed his best wishes to the people of Turkmenistan.

On November 3rd, Emperor Naruhito conferred the Order of Culture on 4 of 6 recipients at the Imperial Palace. For the 3rd year, the customary tea ceremony for honorees was canceled due to the pandemic.

Photos: Asahi, AP Images

- Kabuki performer Matsumoto Hakuo (80)
- Koto music artist Shoin Yamase (89)
- Japanese painter Atsushi Uemura (89)
- Fermentation researcher Teruhiko Beppu (88)
- Electrical engineering researcher Hiroyuki Sakaki (78)
- Chinese history scholar Tadao Yoshikawa (85)

 

[iceflower]

Here's an additional gallery of today's order presentation:


** gtresnews gallery **

 

[Prisma]

On November 6th, Emperor Naruhito underwent an MRI for his prostate at the University of Tokyo Hospital in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. He arrived around 9:30am and left after 1pm. Blood tests have shown slightly elevated PSA values.

Photos: Asahi, AP Images

https://twitter.com/x/status/1589114625852788736

Japan emperor undergoes prostate examination - Kyodo News

[...]

The emperor has no symptoms. When the agency announced in early October that the emperor would undergo an examination, it said his prostate specific antigen level was slightly higher than normal and "showing a slightly worrying movement."

The doctors at the hospital will study the result and determine whether a biopsy is required, the agency said.

[...]

In 2007, the emperor had endoscopic surgery to remove a benign duodenal polyp, but he has not had any other medical problems.

Emperor undergoes MRI to check for prostate issues - The Japan News