Emperor's Family Moves to Imperial Palace: "Sadness and Deep Emotion"
Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and
their eldest daughter, Toshinomiya Aiko, moved from Akasaka Palace to the
Imperial Palace on the 6th. The Emperor and his family officially became
residents of the Imperial Palace with the replacement of the Emperor with His
Majesty Prince Ritsui.
At around 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the
6th, His Majesty departed the Akasaka Palace with the Empress and Princess
Aiko, accompanied by attendants holding the sword and the imperial seal that
will be handed down with the throne. As they left the main gate, they rolled
down their car windows and smiled and waved to people along the road. In
consideration of the new coronavirus, the family will not stay at the imperial
residence in the provinces, but will stay at the Imperial Palace during the
moving process. This was made possible at the suggestion of His Majesty the
Emperor himself.
His Majesty the Emperor, at the age of 61,
has lived in the Akasaka Imperial Palace for most of his life, with the
exception of his studies in England. After leaving the Akasaka Imperial Palace,
a place filled with memories, Their Majesties expressed their feelings in a
document through the Imperial Household Agency, saying, "I feel sadness
and deep emotion.
Full text of impressions by Their Majesties
the Emperor and Empress
It is with a sense of sadness and deep
emotion that I am leaving the Akasaka Imperial Palace today, where I have spent
so many years and become so familiar with. At the same time, I am sobered by
the fact that I will be moving to the Imperial Palace, which has served as the
foundation for successive Emperors to fulfill their duties, but I will fulfill
my daily duties with a renewed spirit.
I would like to express my heartfelt
gratitude to Their Majesties the Former Emperor and Empress for their warm
support during our years in Akasaka. I would also like to express my deepest
gratitude to the many people who have supported our life and duties at Akasaka
Imperial Palace over the years, as well as to all those who have helped lay the
groundwork for our new life at the Imperial Palace, including the recent
renovation of the Fukiage Palace.
On this occasion, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere hope that the current spread of the new coronavirus infection will be brought under control, and that the day when people can live in peace will come sooner rather than later.
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