Typhoon Hagibis casts a cloud over Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement

Guests including Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prince Charles will attend Tuesday’s ceremony – but not South Korea’s president

But many are disappointed that an open-top car procession has been postponed, out of respect for the people killed in the recent typhoon

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Japan's Emperor Naruhito, who will be enthroned on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:45am, 20 Oct 2019Updated: 8:45am, 20 Oct 2019

The long-awaited enthronement ceremony for Japanese Emperor Naruhito will go ahead on Tuesday, although there is a degree of disappointment among ordinary Japanese people that an open-top car procession from the Imperial Palace has been postponed out of respect for the people killed and still missing as a result of the recent typhoon.

Most believe, however, that the Imperial Household Agency made the right decision to postpone the parade, which will now be held on Sunday November 10. At least 79 people were killed and 10 are still missing after Typhoon Hagibis hit parts of Japan on October 12. About 2,400 homes were heavily damaged or destroyed.

“It is unfortunate that they are postponing the parade, but it’s the appropriate thing to do because it’s not right that we should be celebrating at such a time,” said Kaori Furuta, an office worker from Tokyo.

“I will watch the ceremony on television and I would have watched the parade – even though I’m not really all that interested in the imperial family – but this is a rare and special occasion,” she said. “This is a chance to see them and I wish our royal family was more open and less distant from the ordinary people, like they are in European countries.”

Mari Faynot, who works for an import-export company, said she was surprised to hear that the parade had been postponed.