JAKARTA - Japanese Emperor Naruhito on Monday gave a New Year's address and greeted members of society for the first time in three years, as the country relaxed restrictions on the COVID-19 pandemic amid a spike in year-end infections.
"The spread of the coronavirus makes it difficult for everyone, but I am very happy to be able to greet you again," Emperor Naruhito told a crowd at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo.
"We are facing a lot of difficulties, but I wish a peaceful and good new year to all, and when the new year begins, I pray for the happiness of the people of Japan and around the world," he added.
Emperor Naruhito, 62, was accompanied by a number of royals from the Japanese Empire family, including his wife Masak Masako (59) and his father Emperor Emeritus Akihito (89) who passed down the throne in 2019. The Emperor's daughter, Princess Aiko (21) participated for the first time, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
About 9,600 people were selected by lottery to attend the New Year's event, a much smaller number than the tens of thousands who usually gather for the traditional royal greeting. They are divided into six groups throughout the day
Japan entered its eighth wave of COVID-19 infections last November, when daily cases began to exceed 100,000. Since the start of the pandemic, the country has recorded about 30 million infections and nearly 60,000 deaths.
Japan lifted most restrictions on foreign travelers in October, in a bid to revive tourism. Last month, they said they would require people arriving from China to undergo COVID-19 tests upon arrival, following a spike in infection cases in the Bamboo Curtain Country.
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