THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
September 14, 2022 at 14:52 JST
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako during a Sept. 5 ceremony in Tokyo to mark the 150th anniversary of the promulgation of Japan’s first law on the modern school system (Pool)
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will travel to London from Sept. 17 to 20 to attend the state funeral for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, their first overseas trip since Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announced at a news conference on Sept. 14 that the Cabinet will grant official approval on Sept. 16 for the couple’s visit to London. Elizabeth's funeral is scheduled to be held in Westminster Abbey at 11 a.m. on Sept. 19.
While it is unusual for the emperor to attend the funeral of a member of a foreign royal family, the government took into account the traditional close ties between the imperial family and the British royal family.
The late queen, the world’s longest-reigning monarch who died on Sept. 8 at age 96 after 70 years on the throne, had interactions with not only Naruhito but also his father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, and his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito (1901-1989), posthumously known as Emperor Showa.
“Although the plan was shelved by the outbreak of the global novel coronavirus pandemic, the queen herself had invited the emperor and empress to visit Britain,” Matsuno said of the major reason behind the latest decision.
He added that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other Japanese government officials will not attend the funeral.
According to Imperial Household Agency officials, Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko attended the state funeral in 1993 for Belgian King Baudouin, the only other time an emperor has attended a state funeral for a foreign head of state or royal family member.
The agency on Sept. 13 announced that Naruhito plans to visit Tochigi Prefecture on Oct. 1 for the 77th National Sports Festival, one of the key national events that the emperor and empress attend.
It will be his first trip across prefectural borders for his official duties since the start of the pandemic.
Masako will accompany her husband on the day trip unless her long-standing health issue prevents her from doing so, according to the agency.
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