TOKYO: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah is among the Heads of States and dignitaries from around the world expected to attend the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito, at the Imperial Palace here on Tuesday.
His Majesty and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, are expected to arrive here in a special aircraft tomorrow evening, accompanied by officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry.
Malaysian Ambassador to Japan, Datuk Kennedy Jawan said the royal couple would be attending the historic ceremony at the invitation of the Japanese government, and they were scheduled to be in the country for four days.
“The presence of Their Majesties reflects the close relationship shared between Malaysia and Japan as many collaborations have been formed to strengthen the bilateral relationship in various fields, including diplomacy, politics and economics.
“This can be seen through the many exchanges of visits between the two countries in recent years,“ he said when met at the Malaysian Embassy here today.
Kennedy said the enthronement ceremony was scheduled to take place in the most elegant room at the Imperial Palace, namely the ‘Seiden Matsu-no-Ma’ (State Room), at 1 pm local time on Tuesday, (around 12 pm Malaysian time) followed by the royal banquet at the ‘Hemei-Den’ (State Banquet Hall) in the evening.
On the same day (Tuesday), Tunku Azizah is expected to attend a programme organised by the Girl Guides of Japan at a hotel here.
On Wednesday, Al-Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah are scheduled to attend the Royal Tea Party hosted by Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako at the Akasaka Palace, before attending a dinner event hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a hotel here.
Kennedy said that Naruhito had visited Malaysia in 2017, while he was the Crown Prince of Japan.
Naruhito, 59, succeeded the throne from his father, Emperor Akihito, on May 1, after the latter abdicated due to health reasons, becoming the first emperor to do so.
Naruhito’s ascension to the throne will begin a new era in Japan known as ‘Reiwa’ which means ‘harmony and order’, effectively drawing the curtain on Akihito’s era since 1989 known as ‘Heisei’ (achieving peace). — Bernama
