President Maithripala Sirisena left for Japan today (21) to participate in the coronation ceremony of Emperor Naruhito at the invitation of Japanese Government.Japanese Emperor Naruhito ascended to the throne in May but formal enthronement ceremony is set for tomorrow (Oct. 22). During his stay in Tokyo, the President will be received in a separate meeting by Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe and will meet with several heads of different states participating in this ceremony.
This will be President Sirisena’s third official visit to Japan since assuming office while his previous visits include attending the G7 Summit in May 2016.preparations are well under way to complete Naruhito’s transition from crown prince to emperor, a process that began with Emperor Akihito abdicating the Chrysanthemum throne on April 30. Naruhito, 59, formally became emperor the next day, but the traditional crowning ceremony was set for the autumn.
The enthronement rituals, known as the “Sokuirei Seiden no Gi”, date back centuries.At 1pm on Tuesday, Emperor Naruhito will give a speech from the canopied throne, also known as the Takamikura. He will be wearing a dark orange robe called a “Korozen no goho”, the design of which goes back to the ninth century and is only worn by emperors during important ceremonies. Empress Masako will be seated next to him, also dressed in elaborate robes.