Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his family greeted thousands of people from the balcony of their palace at the start of the new year. “I hope this year will be a peaceful and good year for all of you,” the monarch said Monday from behind a protective mask on the glass balcony of Chowa Den Palace in Tokyo, in front of which citizens gathered in the sun with national flags fluttering.
Due to the corona pandemic, it was the first time since 2020 that the emperor, accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako, and other relatives, showed himself to his subjects for the New Year’s performance. The royal couple’s daughter, Princess Aiko, was there for the first time after coming of age in 2021.
In the previous two years, the New Year’s performance had been canceled due to the corona pandemic. That hadn’t happened since 1990. The reason at the time was the mourning for the death of Emperor Hirohito, the grandfather of the current Tenno.
Over the course of the day, Emperor Naruhito and his family would appear on the balcony six times, with only about 9,600 citizens chosen by lot allowed to enter the grounds. Tens of thousands of people come in normal years. This time there was a minimum distance of one meter. Visitors must also wear a face mask – which almost everyone does voluntarily anyway.
Source: Krone
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