Japan Govt OKs Bill for Enthronement-Linked 10 Straight Holidays

November 13, 2018

Tokyo--The government at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday adopted a bill to allow Japan to have 10 successive holidays in line with Crown Prince Naruhito's enthronement next year.

The government hopes to submit to the ongoing extraordinary parliamentary session the bill to designate May 1, 2019, when the Crown Prince accedes to the throne, as a national holiday, aiming to have it enacted during the current session.

The 10-day holiday period would start on April 27, a Saturday.

The decision to create the long holiday period is aimed at boosting a festive mood among the public for the Crown Prince's enthronement and helping reduce the impacts of the change in the Japanese era names from the current Heisei, also slated for May 1, on people's lives, government officials said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Tuesday that he hopes all citizens in the country will congratulate the Crown Prince's rise to the throne during the holiday period.

The country's national holiday law stipulates that any weekday sandwiched between national holidays be a holiday.

If May 1, 2019, a Wednesday, is designated as a national holiday according to the envisioned legislation, April 30, a Tuesday, when current Emperor Akihito is set to step down, and May 2, a Thursday, will be public holidays. In Japan, April 29 and May 3, known as Showa Day and Constitution Memorial Day, respectively, are national holidays.

The day of May 6 next year, a Monday and the last of the successive holidays, will be a substitute holiday for the Children's Day holiday on May 5, a Sunday.

The bill also calls for designating Oct. 22 next year, when the "Sokuirei-Seiden-no-Gi" ceremony to proclaim Crown Prince Naruhito's enthronement is scheduled, as a national holiday as well.

The bill would make May 1 and Oct. 22 holidays only for 2019. Jiji Press