Japan set to celebrate Emperor Naruhito's enthronement

Japan is abuzz ahead of a ceremony Tuesday marking Emperor Naruhito's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

It is one of several formal ceremonies for Naruhito, 59, who has been a full-fledged emperor since succeeding in May after the abdication of his father, Akihito.

A look at the significance of the enthronement ceremony and what people are expecting of the new emperor:

This Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, photo shows Takamikura throne with Michodai, right, a curtained platform, placed at Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The Takamikura throne will be used at a ceremony for Emperor Naruhito's proclamation on Oct. 22, 2019. (Kyodo News via AP)

SHOWCASING A REIGN

The enthronement ceremony marks the high point of succession rituals that began in May and will last through the spring.

Tuesday's ceremony allows Naruhito to proclaim himself Japan's 126th emperor in a ritual dating back to the 7th century.

FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2019, file photo, Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and Empress Masako, look at Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bowing during a memorial ceremony for the war dead at Nippon Budokan Martial Arts Hall in Tokyo. (AP PhotoEugene Hoshiko, File)

Historians say the modern enthronement rituals are largely meant to allow the government to showcase the monarchy to win public support and to preserve the country's cultural heritage.

Western-style banquets and a procession have been added to "to bolster national prestige and influence. The Imperial family's own events used to be more modest," said historian and monarchy expert Eiichi Miyashiro, who is also a journalist.

The ceremony was originally modeled after one by the ancient Tang dynasty of China and is the second of a three-part process following the May succession. Next month sees the highly religious and divisive ritual of the Grand Harvest. Some experts have raised questions over the government's funding of 16 billion yen ($150 million) for ceremonies that contain religious rites.

This Oct. 7, 2019, photo shows a car that will carry Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako during a parade on Oct. 22 to mark his enthronement, at the Imperial Palace. Naruhito is largely following his father’s examples, but not the choice of a royal car for his parade. While Akihito used a Rolls Royce Corniche III imported from Britain 30 years ago, Naruhito and Masako will be in a Toyota Century convertible, customized with raised rear seats to provide well-wishers a good view from the roadside during the couple’s half-hour motorcade on the 4.6 kilometer (2.85 mile) route from the palace to the Akasaka imperial residence. (Kyodo News via AP)

A PROCLAMATION AND A BANZAI

Despite the time, cost and effort put into it, the ceremony itself will last only 30 minutes. Its climax is the emperor's proclamation before some 2,000 guests.

Naruhito will wear a formal brownish-orange robe that has been dyed in sappanwood and Japanese wax tree bark and a black headdress decorated with an upright tail — as his father did 30 years ago — in a ceremony at Matsu-no-ma, the Imperial Palace's most prestigious hall.

FILE - In this May 27, 2019, file photo released by Imperial Household Agency of Japan, U.S. President Donald Trump, left, talks with Japan's Emperor Naruhito while first lady Melania Trump talks with Empress Masako, right, during their state call at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Japan is fully in a festive mood as Emperor Naruhito will perform his main ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 22, proclaiming his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Naruhito, 59, has already been a fully-fledged emperor and received U.S. President Trump and other foreign dignitaries since succeeding the throne from his abdicated father Akihito and a new imperial era of “Reiwa” began in May. (Imperial Household Agency of Japan via AP, File)

He will make his proclamation from the Imperial Throne "Takamikura," a 6.5-meter (21-foot) -high decorative structure resembling a gazebo or something from the Forbidden City in China. It was transported from the former Imperial Palace in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto, where emperors lived until 150 years ago.

A sword and a jewel — two of the "three sacred treasures" that Naruhito has inherited from Akihito — will be placed beside him, while the third treasure, a mirror, stays at the Ise Shrine, the holiest place in the Shinto religion.

Naruhito's wife, Empress Masako, also dressed in an elaborate traditional costume, will stand in a slightly smaller structure, the "August Seat of the Empress," a modern-day addition first used by Naruhito's grandmother.

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 1990, file photo, then Japan's Emperor Akihito reads an address as he formally ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne at the imperial palace in Tokyo. Japan is abuzz ahead of a ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, marking Emperor Naruhito’s ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. It is one of several formal ceremonies for Naruhito, 59, who has been a full-fledged emperor since succeeding in May after the abdication of his father, Akihito. (AP PhotoKoji Sasahara, File)

Naruhito is expected to follow a 1990 proclamation made by his father, who pledged to fulfill his duty as a state symbol under the constitution and wished his people peace and prosperity. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, after making a brief congratulatory statement, will lead three "banzai" cheers for Naruhito.

'REIWA' STYLE

Naruhito and Masako have been warmly welcomed by the Japanese public.

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 1990, file photo, then Japan's Emperor Akihito, center, waves as then Empress Michiko smiles as they start an open car parade from the palace in Tokyo. Japan is abuzz ahead of a ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, marking Emperor Naruhito’s ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. It is one of several formal ceremonies for Naruhito, 59, who has been a full-fledged emperor since succeeding in May after the abdication of his father, Akihito.(AP PhotoKoji Sasahara, File)

The couple won praise when they chatted with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump without an interpreter at a banquet in May.

Naruhito has pledged to follow his father's commitment to pacifism and sympathy for those facing hardship.

Naruhito is a historian, a viola player and an expert on water transport who studied at Oxford. Masako, a Harvard-educated former diplomat, has struggled for more than 10 years since developing "adjustment disorder" after giving birth to their only child, Princess Aiko, and facing pressure to produce a boy.

In this Nov. 12, 1990, photo, then Emperor Akihito and then Empress Michiko start an open car parade from the palace in Tokyo. Japan is abuzz ahead of a ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, marking Emperor Naruhito’s ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. It is one of several formal ceremonies for Naruhito, 59, who has been a full-fledged emperor since succeeding in May after the abdication of his father, Akihito. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOYOTA, NOT ROLLS ROYCE

Naruhito is largely following his father's examples, but not in the choice of a royal car for his parade.

While Akihito used a Rolls Royce Corniche III imported from Britain 30 years ago, Naruhito and Masako will be in a Toyota Century convertible, customized with raised rear seats to provide well-wishers a good view from the roadside during the couple's half-hour motorcade on the 4.6-kilometer (3-mile) route from the palace to the Akasaka imperial residence.

FILE - In this June 9, 1993, file photo, then Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako wave to well-wishers from a limousine during a parade through the streets of Tokyo following their wedding at the Imperial Palace. Japan is abuzz ahead of a ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, marking Emperor Naruhito’s ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. It is one of several formal ceremonies for Naruhito, 59, who has been a full-fledged emperor since succeeding in May after the abdication of his father, Akihito.(AP PhotoTsugufumi Matsumoto, File)

The parade, originally planned for Tuesday afternoon, was pushed back to Nov. 10 due to the extensive damage from Typhoon Hagibis, which hit central and northern Japan earlier this month.

PARDONS

To mark the occasion, Abe's Cabinet is granting pardons to about 550,000 people convicted of petty crimes such as traffic violations and election fraud. The pre-war custom of clemency by the emperor has triggered criticism as being undemocratic and politically motivated.

FILE - In this June 9, 1993, file photo, then Crown Prince Naruhito, left, and Crown Princess Masako wave during their wedding parade in Tokyo. Japan is abuzz ahead of a ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, marking Emperor Naruhito’s ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. It is one of several formal ceremonies for Naruhito, 59, who has been a full-fledged emperor since succeeding in May after the abdication of his father, Akihito.(Kyodo News via AP, File)

"It's anachronistic," said Setsu Kobayashi, a Keio University constitution professor. "If their penalties need to be reconsidered or reduced, they should be examined individually and legally, not in the name of the emperor."

The amnesty will take effect Tuesday. When Naruhito's grandfather Hirohito died in 1989, more than 10 million people were pardoned, and 2.5 million were given amnesty to celebrate Akihito's enthronement.

COURT BANQUETS

Naruhito will host a 3½-hour court banquet Tuesday night, attended by foreign dignitaries and representatives from Japan's administrative, legislative and judicial branches and their spouses.

Foreign guests will be escorted to observe the Imperial Throne and the Empress' seat on display at the Pine Hall before entering the banquet hall, where a dinner will be served while traditional Japanese court music is performed live, ceremony organizers said.

Naruhito and Masako will also have after-dinner drinks with foreign guests in another room. The couple will host three more banquets through the end of October.

ABE'S DIPLOMACY RUSH

The enthronement ceremony is also being used for diplomacy by Abe, who is separately hosting a dinner Wednesday, though Naruhito and Masako won't be there.

Guests include Britain's Prince Charles, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon. Abe's expected meeting Thursday with Lee will be the highest-level talks between the two countries since tensions escalated in July over wartime history and trade controls.

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DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.

The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.

“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”

Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.

The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.

Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.

“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”

It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.

“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”

Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.

First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”

Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.

“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”

For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.

“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.

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Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)