(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte left for Japan today, Monday, Oct. 21, to attend the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito which is to take place, the following day, Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Duterte has assigned Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as the government’s office-in-charge (OIC) during his trip to Japan from Oct. 21 to 24.
He signed Special order No. 1125 on October 18 tasking Medialdea to be the OIC “to take care of the day-to-day operations in the Office of the President and to oversee the general administration of the Executive Department.”
The President left for Japan from the Davao airport at 6:30 p.m.
-Lean delegation to accompany Duterte –
Executive Secretary Salvador Panelo earlier said that the President will be accompanied by a “lean delegation.”
“Definitely, it’s a lean delegation. Leaner than we thought,” he said in a press briefing Monday.
President Duterte will “join other world leaders in witnessing the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito,” Panelo earlier said in a statement.
“The golden age of Philippines-Japan friendship has indeed started to unfold. (President Duterte), as our Head of State, therefore believes that it is but proper to give honor to an important partner by being present at the enthronement ceremony which is considered by the Japanese to be one of their country’s most momentous events,” he added.
On October 22, Emperor Naruhito will formally proclaim his enthronement, which occurred in May this year after his father’s abdication,
The enthronement ceremony will formalize Emeperor Naruhito’s ascension to Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne.
The Japanese government is setting aside millions of dollars in funds, in particular for the October event, which will draw dignitaries from around the world.
This will be President Duterte’s fourth visit to Japan since he assumed office in 2016.
Panelo said that the Philippines “greatly” values its diplomatic ties with Japan.
The ceremony proclaiming the enthronement of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito will be a tightly choreographed and solemn affair, steeped in tradition, that cements his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
– Details of enthronement procedure –
After a private morning ceremony, Emperor Naruhito will prepare for the main event of the ceremony, in the Imperial Palace’s Pine Room.
The palace courtyard will be adorned with two rows of colorful banners under which will be lined up imperial guards, bearers of ceremonial objects, and gong and drum players.
Over two thousand guests will be present, most in seating around the courtyard that looks onto “Matsu-no-Ma” Pine Room, considered the palace’s most elegant hall.
Only a handful of people, including royalty and senior government officials, will be in the room itself.
The guests will have received strict guidelines on appropriate clothing for the event, including morning suit or formal kimono for men and dresses or kimonos for women.
The ceremony will start at 1:00 pm (0400 GMT) precisely, with the emperor entering the room from an adjacent hall, dressed in a brown-gold robe, along with attendants carrying the imperial regalia.
He will then literally ascend his throne, a tall black-and-gold octagonal structure with long purple curtains housing a simple chair, called the Takamikura.
Empress Masako will follow in a multi-layered robe that is so heavy it can be difficult to move, ascending her similarly elaborate throne, called the Michodai.
Once they are in place, the curtains will be ceremonially opened, revealing the royals inside.
No verbal instructions will be heard during the tightly choreographed ceremony, with only the sounds of drums and gongs signalling when movement will occur.
With the royals installed in their thrones, a drumbeat will give the signal for attendees, including envoys from more than 190 countries, to rise.
The emperor, also standing, will then make the official proclamation, likely to be along the lines of the declaration his father decades earlier: “I proclaim my enthronement to those at home and abroad.”
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will then shout “banzai” (“long live the Emperor”) three times, raising his hands in salute with each exclamation.
Guests are expected to join the cheers but foreign invitees are not obliged, according to a government official.
The former emperor and empress will not be in the crowd, and nor will Naruhito and Masako’s only child 17-year-old Princess Aiko, because she is a minor.
– Parade cancelled –
The ceremony had been due to continue with an open-top car parade before the public, with the royal couple donning formal Western clothes, including a gown and tiara for the empress.
But in light of the devastation caused by Typhoon Hagibis, which killed nearly 80 people, the Japanese government has postponed the parade until November 10.
A series of banquets, starting from the evening of the proclamation, will still go ahead at the palace.
The final part of the imperial rites will come in November, when the emperor participates in the Daijosai thanksgiving ceremony.
(with a report from Agence France Presse)
