In front of his family and dignitaries from around the world, Japan's Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday morning officially proclaimed his enthronement inside the Imperial Palace.
The ceremony's rituals are known as "Sokui no Rei," and at one point boxes were placed near Naruhito's throne that are said to contain a sword and jewel that date back almost 2,700 years; because these are sacred items, they have never been viewed by the public. Naruhito donned ceremonial robes, as did his wife, Empress Masako. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a speech, ending with cheers of, "Long live the emperor!"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 fact-checked cartoons about Meta firing its fact checkersCartoons Artists take on playing chicken, information superhighway, and more
-
NCHIs: the controversy over non-crime hate incidentsThe Explainer Is the policing of non-crime hate incidents an Orwellian outrage or an essential tool of modern law enforcement?
-
Islamic State: the terror group's second actTalking Point Isis has carried out almost 700 attacks in Syria over the past year, according to one estimate
-
Jimmy Carter honored in state funeral, laid to restSpeed Read The state funeral was attended by all living presidents
-
Trump sentenced after Supreme Court rejectionSpeed Read Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the three liberal justices in the majority
-
DOJ to release half of Trump special counsel reportSpeed Read The portion regarding Trump's retention of classified documents will not be publicly released
-
Jimmy Carter lies in state as 3-day DC farewell beginsSpeed Read The 39th president died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100
-
Giuliani held in contempt of court over forfeit assetsSpeed Read He has failed to turn over $11 million in assets to two Georgia election workers he defamed after the 2020 election
-
Biden resettles 11 more Guantánamo detaineesSpeed Read In an effort to reduce the number of prisoners held in Guantánamo Bay, Biden transferred 11 Yemeni detainees to Oman
-
Canada's Trudeau announces resignationSpeed Read Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is stepping down after nearly a decade in office
-
Biden signs boost to Social Security for public workersSpeed Read The president signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, expanding retirement benefits for millions
