Japanese emperor's enthronement parade postponed to November
Xinhua
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TOKYO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government decided to postpone the enthronement parade for Emperor Naruhito that was scheduled in Tokyo on Oct. 22, local media said Thursday.

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Japan's new Emperor Naruhito (1st L) and Empress Masako (2nd L) attend a ceremony to receive the first audience after the accession to the throne, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, on May 1, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua/Imperial Household Agency Handout)

The parade, which will involve the emperor and Empress Masako traveling in a convertible sedan for about 30 minutes along a 5-km course from the Imperial Palace to Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, will be held on Nov. 10.

The government rescheduled the event so that it can focus on dealing with the damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis, which ripped through the country last weekend. It has left 77 people dead and 12 others missing, while wreaking extensive damage on wide swathes of the country.

The ceremony and banquet of the enthronement ceremony originally scheduled for Oct. 22, however, will be held as planned, with no disruption to the scheduled visits of dignitaries from more than 190 countries and organizations.