Japan’s Emperor and Empress to attend Queen’s state funeral
Traditionally, a Japanese emperor stays away from funerals whether at home or abroad because of a cultural belief that considers death impure.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will travel to the UK to attend the Queen’s state funeral.
Chief Cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the Japanese government requested they accept the British royals’ invitation to attend, considering the close relations between the two countries’ royal families.
Traditionally, a Japanese emperor stays away from funerals whether at home or abroad because of a cultural belief based in the Shinto religion that considers death impure. The decision for Naruhito to attend the queen’s funeral underscores the importance and the deep bond between the royal families.
The Queen had invited Naruhito to visit Britain as a first destination of his foreign visits after ascending to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, which had to be postponed due to the pandemic, Mr Matsuno said.
There are no plans for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other government officials to attend the funeral, he said.
In a statement in Japanese, Naruhito praised the Queen for guiding and encouraging the people of Britain and its Commonwealth nations towards world peace and stability.
Naruhito noted that the queen always warmly watched over relations between the two countries and paid attention to the ties between British and Japanese royal families.
He said the queen treated him kindly and thoughtfully while he studied at Oxford in the 1980s and during his official visits to Britain. On one occasion while Naruhito was studying in London, he was invited to Buckingham Palace where the queen served him tea.