Japan considers postponing new emperor's parade due to typhoon damage: Report
17 October, 2019
The Japanese government is considering postponing a celebratory parade after Emperor Naruhito's formal enthronement ceremony next week due to damage from Typhoon Hagibis, national broadcaster NHK said on Thursday (Oct 17).
The parade was scheduled for Oct 22 as part of a series of events marking the official proclamation of Emperor Naruhito's enthronement. The religious rites and imperial banquet associated with the event are still expected to go ahead, national broadcaster NHK said.
"The government has begun coordinating in the direction of postponing a celebration parade that had been planned for Oct 22 ... so as to make sure they do everything they can to deal with the issues of typhoon-hit areas," NHK said.
Contacted by AFP, the imperial household agency and the government committee organising the event declined to comment on the reports.
Naruhito officially succeeded his father Akihito in May but a series of ceremonies and rites celebrating his enthronement are scheduled this month and later this year, including the parade and the official enthronement ceremony originally planned for next Tuesday.
Japan is still carrying out search and recovery operations after powerful Typhoon Hagibis slammed into the country on Saturday.
At least 77 have died in the storm, which lashed wide swathes of Japan with heavy rain and high winds last week, setting off landslides and sending rivers over their banks to cause widespread flooding.
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