Photos of the Japanese emperor's settlement

The new Japanese emperor Naruhito, proclaimed last April 30, took office officially ascending the throne during a complex ceremony called Sokui no Rei. The Japanese imperial tradition states that the official settlement takes place after a year of mourning, following the death of the old sovereign and the appointment of the new one, but the circumstances of the succession – the father Akihito had abdicated – shortened the lapse of time between the appointment and ascent to the throne. Akihito was emperor from 1990, when he had settled almost two years after the death of his father Hirohito.

At the beginning of the ceremony Naruhito paid tribute to Amaterasu, the Shinto deity from whom the emperor is believed to descend, and then there was the offer of the imperial insignia of Japan (a sword, a gem and a mirror) in the three shrines of the imperial palace in Tokyo. In the second part of the ceremony, instead, Naruhito ascended the throne, called Takamikura, together with his wife Masako. It is a symbolic act that marks the beginning of his empire (in Japan the emperor does not wear a crown, as happens in other monarchies).

The Naruhito settlement ceremony was also attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with several foreign dignitaries, including Prince Charles of the United Kingdom. After the ceremony the emperor and his wife would also have had to make a parade aboard a car discovered in the streets of Tokyo, but this was postponed in November as a sign of respect for the 80 people who died as a result of the typhoon Hagibis in the past days.

After taking possession of the throne Naruhito gave a speech in which he swore allegiance to the Constitution and – as the first official act of emperor – he granted the grace to about 550 thousand people who were sentenced for minor offenses, such as theft and traffic offenses, and who have been serving their sentences for at least three years. According to Japanese law, in fact, those convicted must wait five years from the end of the sentence or from when they paid the fine before being able to take exams and obtain national licenses. The pardon will not be granted to anyone who has committed serious crimes, and no prisoner will be released.