By TATSURO SUGIURA/ Staff Writer
July 7, 2021 at 17:13 JST
Emperor Naruhito received his first shot of a coronavirus vaccine on July 6, the Imperial Household Agency said.
Though the agency initially planned not to disclose the vaccination status of imperial family members for privacy reasons, it made an exception for the emperor, an agency official said.
“We deemed it appropriate to make an announcement about the emperor as he is the symbol of the state,” the official said, adding the agency released the information after having gained his consent.
The emperor, who turned 61 in February, was inoculated at his Akasaka Imperial Residence on the afternoon of July 6.
It is not clear whether Empress Masako, 57, was also vaccinated.
The inoculation of the emperor was arranged as progress has been made in mass vaccination programs pushed by local governments around the country and businesses, according to the official.
Naruhito has assumed the role of the honorary patron of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Whether he will attend the July 23 Opening Ceremony to declare the start of the Games is still being discussed, according to the agency.
Six elderly imperial family members, including Naruhito’s parents, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, 87, and Empress Emerita Michiko 86, received their first vaccinations on June 1.
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Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the entrance of the Japan Art Academy in Tokyo’s Taito Ward on June 28 (Pool)
