The government committee preparing rituals related to Emperor Akihito's abdication announced Tuesday that a ceremony to be held on April 30, 2019, the day he steps down, will be a state occasion.
The panel headed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also agreed to stage a ceremony celebrating 30 years of the emperor's reign on Feb. 24 next year ahead of his relinquishment of the throne -- the first by a Japanese monarch in more than 200 years. His elder son Crown Prince Naruhito is set to ascend the throne on May 1, 2019.
The committee also decided to hold an event in 2020 to commemorate the promotion of the emperor's younger son Prince Akishino to "koshi," the title given to the first in line to the throne.
These points will be incorporated into the panel's basic plan on the staging of a series of imperial succession events to be compiled by mid-March, Suga said in a press conference.
At the abdication ceremony to be held at the Imperial Palace, the emperor will give a message to the general public, while the event to mark his 30 years of reign will be staged at the National Theater in Tokyo.
The top government spokesman added, however, the group did not discuss when and how the enthronement ceremony for Crown Prince Naruhito will be conducted.
The current emperor, 84, ascended the throne on Jan. 7, 1989, following the death of his father Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa.
The emperor, who has had heart surgery and underwent treatment for prostate cancer, expressed his desire to retire in a rare video message televised in August 2016, citing concern about his advanced age and weakening health. He will be 85 when he abdicates.
Japan's parliament enacted a one-off law last June enabling him to pass the throne to his 57-year-old son. The special legislation had to be worked out as the Imperial House Law lacks a provision on the emperor's abdication.
On Dec. 8, the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved the date for the abdication of the emperor.
