In ancient throne ritual, Japanese emperor vows to fulfil dutyJapanese Emperor Naruhito. Naruhito became emperor and his wife Masako became empress on May 1 in a brief ceremony. Fifty-five-year-old Harvard-educated Empress Masako, wearing heavy 12-layered robes and with hair flowing down her back, stood in front of a smaller throne to the side. Abe led a trio of cheers of “banzai”, or “long life”, for the emperor, before a 21-gun salute. “The emperor is necessary now as a symbol of the people, but at some point, the emperor will no longer be necessary.

Source: Standard Digital October 22, 2019 08:03 UTC