The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines celebrates Tuesday the Birthday of His Majesty, the Emperor, and the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne. December 23 is a public holiday in Japan.

The Japanese trace the lineage of their emperors back over two thousand years. In 1948, the Emperor’s Birthday was established as a moveable national holiday (called tenno no tanjobi), dependent on the incumbent emperor’s birth date. Japan’s emperor is considered a symbol of the state and of unity in Japan. Today, the Japanese people celebrate the birthday of Emperor Akihito who was born on December 23, 1933, and acceded to the throne in 1989.

Emperor Akihito is the 125th emperor, according to Japan’s traditional order of succession. He is the world’s only reigning monarch with the title of emperor. On Emperor’s Day, a public ceremony takes place at the Imperial Palace which, usually off limits to the public, opens its gates to the public. The Emperor accompanied by the Empress of Japan and other members of the royal family appear three times between 10:00 and 11:30 in the morning on a palace balcony to acknowledge the greetings of crowds of well-wishers waving tiny Japanese flags and shouting “Banzai!” Since there are many visitors during this time, visitors may be placed in groups before entering the palace grounds. The emperor and empress will then greet each group as they enter and leave the grounds.

This event, and the Ippan Sanga on January 2 are the only two occasions in the year when the general public is permitted to enter the inner grounds of the Imperial Palace. When the Emperor speaks, the crowd falls silent. After the Emperor finishes his brief greeting, the crowd starts waving the flags again and the Imperial Family waves back. With their constant civic and peace-oriented activities, the Emperor and his family enjoy the great respect of the Japanese people.

We congratulate the people and government of Japan, led by His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor Akihito, and, H.E., Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, and its Embassy in the Philippines headed by H.E., Makoto Katsura, on the occasion of their Emperor’s Day. We wish them success in all their endeavors.