President Iohannis and his wife attend enthronement of Japan's Emperor Naruhito

AGERPRES special correspondent Florentina Peia reports: President Klaus Iohannis and his wife, Carmen Iohannis, attended on Tuesday in Tokyo the enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Naruhito. The head of the Romanian state wore a black tail coat and his wife wore a long blue dress. Emperor Naruhito has formally proclaimed his ascension to the throne in a ritual-bound, centuries-old ceremony attended by more than 180 dignitaries from around the world. I pledge hereby that I shall act according to the Constitution and fulfill my responsibility as the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people of Japan, said Emperor Naruhito. The proclamation was held in the Pine Room (Matsu no ma), the most elegant of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, in the presence of a small group, the other guests staying in the adjoining rooms. The emperor stood inside the Takamikura - an elaborately decorated octagonal canopy, with rich golden and black decorations, placed on a platform and draped with purple curtains. Inside, there was a throne the Japanese ruler did not sit in at any time during this ceremony. The Japanese emperor had two of the three sacred treasures inside the structure - a sword and a precious stone. These, together with a bronze mirror, form the imperial treasure of Japan. Next to the emperor's throne was the throne of Empress Masako, of slightly smaller dimensions. The ceremony lasted about 30 minutes and was accompanied by gongs. Over 2,000 guests stood during the speech delivered by Emperor Naruhito and the congratulatory message presented by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The ceremony ended with gun salute. Among the guests were Prince Charles, King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia. An imperial banquet will be held on Tuesday. President Iohannis and his wife will also attend this event. The head of the Romanian state has been in Japan since Monday. He had meetings with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, and with the President of Finland, Sauli Niinisto. Emperor Naruhito, the 126th Japanese monarch in an uninterrupted dynastic line, took over his imperial prerogatives on May 1, 2019, following the abdication of his father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito. The enthronement ceremony represented the official transfer to the reign of Emperor Naruhito, titled the Reiwa Era ("of auspicious harmony"), which succeeds the Heisei Era (1989 - 2019), associated with the reign of Emperor Akihito. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Simona Klodnischi)