Society

Japan's emperor, empress mark 2018 New Year with ceremony, poems

Jan 02 (Kyodo) - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, along with other members of the imperial family, welcomed 2018 with a New Year's ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

This will be the last full year for the 84-year-old emperor to carry out his duties as the symbol of the state, as he is set to abdicate in April 2019.

The Imperial Household Agency also released for New Year's Day several 31-syllable "waka" poems written in 2017 by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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