Japan Launches Secretariat for Imperial Secession

August 2, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese government launched on Wednesday the secretariat for supervising preparations for ceremonies related to Emperor Akihito's abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the throne next year.

"The upcoming events will be national ceremonies to showcase an era milestone," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. "Everything must be fully prepared," he stressed, calling on staff members of the secretariat to make utmost efforts for the ceremonies.

The secretariat, jointly set up by the Cabinet Secretariat and the Cabinet Office, has 26 workers. It is headed by Shigetaka Yamasaki, former director-general of the internal affairs ministry's Local Administration Bureau.

The government plans to make preparations for Emperor Akihito's abdication on April 30, 2019, and Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the throne the following day, mainly through the new secretariat.

The government is expected to create a ceremony committee as early as October, after the presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in September. The committee, to be chaired by the prime minister, is likely to hold a meeting once a month basically.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government will accelerate preparations for Imperial succession ceremonies to make sure that the events will take place without problems. Jiji Press