It will be a historic moment for Japan. The 125th emperor of the oldest reigning Yamato dynasty in the world, Akihito, is renouncing his throne ahead of his eldest son’s ascension to the throne tomorrow. Crown prince Naruhito will inherit the throne on Wednesday morning, in a brief ceremony. According to Japanese beliefs, the ascension of a new emperor to the throne marks the beginning of a new imperial era, which they call Reiwa or the era of beautiful harmony.
As a nation that holds fast to ancient traditions, the Japanese government has decided to retain the tradition of not allowing female members of the royal family to witness the royal ceremony. According to the Imperial Household Law, women in the imperial family are prohibited from being in the same room when the new emperor receives the sacred regalia. The decision has faced severe criticism from different sections of the society, but the royal family and government remain adamant with their stance.
This robs off Masako, Naruhito’s wife her chance to witness the historic ceremony of her husband taking over the imperial duties. Naruhito is known his unabashed open criticisms against traditions that restrict personal freedom of the royal family members. In 2004, Naruhito made public remarks accusing palace minders of stifling his wife's personality.
"To me, Masako seems worn out in her efforts to adjust herself to life as a royal over the past 10 years... It is also true that there was something that amounted to a denial of Masako's former career," he said
The same year, the palace disclosed that Masako had been undergoing treatment for stress-induced "adjustment disorder" for almost her entire marriage. Naruhito later sought an apology for his remarks. Naruhito has called for "new royal duties" to fit modern times. In the light of these events, it was expected that traditions would take the back seat during Naruhito’s ascension ceremony. Unfortunately, for the women in the royal family, things remain the same.
Surprisingly, breaking traditions for the first time in the history of Japan, Satsuki Katayama, the only women in PM Shinzo Abe’s cabinet will witness Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony.
