Former Emperor's Funeral to Be Significantly Scaled Back

Sep 03, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - The Imperial Household Agency is considering holding a significantly scaled-down funeral for former Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, reflecting his wishes to minimize disruption to the lives of the public.

The former emperor, who turns 93 this year, has previously told the agency that he would prefer arrangements for his funeral to have as little impact as possible on people's daily lives.

In response to those wishes, the Imperial Household Agency announced a policy in 2013 to simplify the funeral and related ceremonies.

Officials are now considering using the Imperial Palace for the Sojoden no Gi, an imperial funeral ceremony equivalent to a formal farewell service.

The scale would be considerably smaller than the state funeral held for Emperor Showa in 1989 at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo, which was attended by about 10,000 people from Japan and overseas.

For comparison, about 2,000 guests from Japan and abroad attended the enthronement ceremony held at the Imperial Palace in 2019. A funeral of a similar size would therefore represent a substantial reduction from the ceremony held following Emperor Showa's death.

Holding the ceremony at facilities inside the Imperial Palace would also make it easier to ensure security while reducing the impact of traffic restrictions and other measures on the daily lives of the public.

Source: TBS

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