Japan to Launch Secretariat for Imperial Succession Ceremonies

July 24, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese government said Tuesday that it will launch on Aug. 1 a secretariat for ceremonies related to Emperor Akihito's abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Shigetaka Yamasaki, director-general of the internal affairs ministry's Local Administration Bureau, will head the secretariat. The post will be regarded as comparable with that of administrative vice minister.

The government is set to start full-scale preparations for the ceremonies, including those for Emperor Akihito's abdication on April 30, 2019, and Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the throne the following day.

The secretariat is expected to consider the scale and other details of the planned ceremonies, as well as handling relevant practical tasks.

The ceremonies will be held over two years, starting with the one on Feb. 24, 2019, to mark the 30th anniversary of Emperor Akihito's accession to the throne. The last one will be the "Rikkoshi no Rei" event in 2020, in which Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Crown Prince Naruhito, will be proclaimed first in line to the throne.

The new organization will also serve as the secretariat for the government's planned ceremonies committee, to be headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and liaison headquarters to be led by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. The committee and the headquarters are expected to be established as early as October this year.

The planned secretariat, to be set up jointly by the Cabinet Secretariat and the Cabinet Office, will start with one head, one deputy head, four directors and 20 planning and other junior officials.

In addition, officials from the Imperial Household Agency and the Cabinet Secretariat will double as officials at the new secretariat, to be supervised by Suga. Jiji Press