Japan Considers Postponing Emperor's Parade Due to Typhoon Damage
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17 October 2019 23:09 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Japanese government is considering postponing a celebratory parade after Emperor Naruhito's formal enthronement ceremony next week due to damage from Typhoon Hagibis, national broadcaster NHK said on Thursday, October 17.
Typhoon Hagibis last week killed at least 77 people when it lashed wide swathes of Japan with heavy rain and powerful wind, setting off landslides and widespread flooding. Nine people are missing and 346 were injured.
The government will postpone the parade celebrating the emperor's Oct. 22 enthronement, said Yoshihide Suga, chief cabinet secretary, at a news conference, adding that new dates were still being considered.
Other events connected with the enthronement will proceed as scheduled, he added.
"We are looking into new dates after considering a number of issues," Suga said. He declined to be more specific, but national broadcaster NHK said the parade would be rescheduled to Nov. 10.
Emperor Naruhito is set to proclaim his enthronement to the world on Oct, 22 in a centuries-old ceremony attended by some 2,500 people, including heads of state and other dignitaries from nearly 200 countries.
Naruhito, 59, acceded to the throne in May after his father, Akihito, became the first monarch to abdicate in two centuries.
REUTERS