Japanese Emperor Naruhito has released a New Year message filled with hope for the future while also recognising the hardships that the world is enduring.
In his traditional New Year address, the Emperor is seen sitting in a room of the Imperial Palace alongside the Empress and their daughter, Princess Aiko.
In front of them was a statuette of a rabbit, symbolising the entrance to this new year, which, according to tradition, will be a year of the rabbit – a symbol of warmth of friendship.
Much of the Emperor’s speech were focussed on plans for the future of Japan, both in terms of internal politics and foreign policy. His Imperial Majesty has announced that foreign visits will resume for the purpose of building stronger bilateral relations.
The Emperor said: “I strongly feel the importance of repeatedly holding dialogue to overcome differences in stances and working together with others in the international community”.
He also recognized the difficulties faced by many people in Japan and around the world – difficulties that come from the lingering socio-economic consequences of Covid-19 and the reverberating effects that Russia’s war against Ukraine is having on energy markets and the global food supply.
He ended his speech by talking about the visits within Japan that he has made throughout the course of 2022, including a very poignant trip to Okinawa to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the land returning under Japanese control after being seized by the United Stated during World War II.
He thanked the public for the warm reception he received throughout his trips, and ended his speech by acknowledging the many lives lost throughout the many conflicts, both past and current, that have taken place around the world.
His Imperial Majesty said: “I understand there are many difficulties, but I pray people will be able to keep supporting each other to overcome adverse situations”.
The Imperial Family will host a New Years greeting for members of the public on the 2nd of January, and this will likely be the first time that Princess Aiko takes part in this ceremony. This will also be the first time the event takes place in three years, following a forced halt in activities due to health safety concerns.
2023 will also bring many big milestones for the Imperial Family: three more visits to Japanese prefectures (Iwate in June, Hokkaido in September, and Kagoshima and Ishikawa in October), the 30th wedding anniversary of the Imperial Couple in June, the 100th birthday of Princess Yuriko in June, and the Empress’ 60th birthday and Emperor Emeritus Akihito’s 90th birthday in December.
There are also rumours that the Imperial couple will travel again to the United Kingdom to attend King Charles coronation, but also to finally undertake the State visit that was planned for March 2020, only to be cancelled because of the global health emergency.
