A young man was in the front row during the annual speech that Emperor Naruhito gave from a balcony of the Imperial Palace
A man of around twenty years old was naked this Friday (2) in front of the emperor of and his family, who greeted the public on the occasion of the New Year, informed the country’s media. The man was in the front row during the annual speech that Emperor Naruhito gave from a balcony of the Imperial Palace.
Private broadcaster TBS and other media outlets described how he suddenly stripped naked while screaming. He then jumped over a barrier and was restrained by agents from the imperial guard and the Tokyo police, who wrapped him in a blanket. When contacted by AFP, the guard was unable to immediately confirm the information.
The incident occurred shortly after members of the imperial family, including Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, appeared on the balcony. Naruhito usually gives a speech every beginning of the year in front of thousands of people waving Japanese flags.
According to sources close to the investigation cited by TBS, the young man had announced on social media that he would appear naked during the New Year greeting. The imperial family, whose roots go back 2,600 years according to legend, formally renounced its divine right after Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II. Therefore, it does not hold any political power.
However, the institution remains an important symbol in the archipelago, and its members are generally respected by the public, although some have appeared on the covers of the sensationalist press due to alleged family disputes.
*With information from AFP
