Emperor Akihito ascended to the Japanese throne on November 12, 1990 in a tightly choreographed ceremony steeped in tradition but with hints of modernity.
Akihito, aged 56, had already succeeded his father, Emperor Hirohito, immediately on his death the previous year after the longest reign in Japan’s history.
His official enthronement ceremony took place at the end of a long period of mourning and in the presence of 2,500 dignitaries including royalty from around the world.
It was the first such event under Japan’s post World War II pacifist constitution in which the emperor was no longer revered as a “living god”, becoming only “the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people.”
Ahead of Akihito’s April 30 abdication in favour of his son, here is an account — based on AFP’s reporting from the time — of the day that he took the throne.
Ancient tradition
In a break with the past, the Chrysanthemum Throne had been moved for the occasion to Tokyo from the former imperial capital of Kyoto, where all previous enthronements had taken place.