Due to the threat of coronavirus contamination, the Prince Akishino banquet has already been cancelled.
The ceremonies for the proclamation of Prince Akishino as the official heir to the Japanese throne may be postponed under the Tokyo Emergency Situation (EOS) due to the threat of a new coronavirus infection. This was reported by Kyodo News Agency on Thursday, citing government sources.
Earlier, Cabinet Secretary General Yoshihide Suga said that the ceremonies are being reconsidered in connection with the introduction of the emergency regime.
The Japanese government decided in March to organize events on April 19 to mark the presentation of the new Crown Prince Akishino to the country and the world. The main ceremony was to be held at the Imperial Palace in the presence of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the leadership of Parliament and the Supreme Court. Approximately 50 people were expected to be invited to the ceremony, significantly fewer than had been previously anticipated. Also, the banquet for the new heir to the throne was cancelled due to the threat of contamination.
Prince Akishino, 54, is the younger brother of the new Japanese Emperor Naruhito, who ascended the throne on May 1, 2019, when his father, now former Emperor Akihito, voluntarily resigned. Akishino was now officially first in line for the throne. Second in line is his son, the 13-year-old Prince Hisahito.
The total number of people infected in Japan has already exceeded 5,800, including passengers and crew of the American cruise liner Diamond Princess, which was quarantined for a month at Yokohama port. Almost 110 people died. The emergency regime due to the threat of new contamination has been in place in Tokyo and six other prefectures in Japan since 8 April for one month.