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Japanese welcome their new emperor

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TheParser

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On May 1, 2019, Japan will have a new emperor.

His Majesty Emperor Naruhito will occupy the Chrysanthemum Throne.

His enthronement ceremony will be later.

We Americans are scheduled to be honored by having His Excellency President Donald J. Trump as His Majesty's first foreign guest.
 
Thank you.

Bye the way, the honorific "His Excellency" is not used with US presidents. Just the title "Mr. President" or "The Honorable".
 
Rogue Valley said:
Thank you.

Bye the way, the honorific "His Excellency" is not used with US presidents. Just the title "Mr. President" or "The Honorable".
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I understand that our more formal foreign friends do address our president as "His Excellency."

And, I believe, that the title was used in the earlier days of the republic, e.g., His Excellency President George Washington.

I think that we need a little more formality and ceremony in our country. So I'm trying to reintroduce "His Excellency."

(P.S. Even the title "The Honorable" drives some anti-Trump people absolutely bananas!)





Have a nice day!
 

 
TheParser said:
I understand that our more formal foreign friends do address our president as "His Excellency."

And, I believe, that the title was used in the earlier days of the republic, e.g., His Excellency President George Washington.
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"His Excellency" was not used after President George Washington. It reminded Americans of the British monarch.
 
jet57 said:
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Oh, my!

I like your JPG (a member taught me that those three letters indicate a still image. I am computer illiterate.)

I can't wait to see the Honorable Donald J. Trump meeting His Majesty. Our esteemed President will not bow. But I wish that he would. I think that President Obama was absolutely right to bow. Ceremony is wonderful. We need more of it.




Have a nice day!
 
Rogue Valley said:
"His Excellency" was not used after President George Washington. It reminded Americans of the British monarch.
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Thanks.


Wikipedia agrees that President Washington preferred to be called "Mr. President."

Wikipedia's entry for "Excellency" says that some people did, indeed, refer to him as "His Excellency," but that it fell out of use when he left office.


(I think that President Trump would not be so angry if more people referred to him as "His Excellency.")
 

I dont like it. Why does Japan still have an official emperor? It has no power, and the people dont seem to care much about it. Much like the UK, I wish one of these celebrities would retire the whole thing to the museum. Monarchy in a democracy simply has no purpose anymore except nostalgia. That said, its not really hurting anyone either. Much like an awards show or celebrity scandal, it is of little significance except entertainment.
 




Many people agree with you.

That is why most countries no longer have even ceremonial kings.

I am among the few people that feel it's good to have a ceremonial king or president.

As you know, the political situation in our country is downright poisonous. If you read the political forums here, some members are filled with absolute hatred for the President.

The problem is that the position of president in our country is the head of STATE and GOVERNMENT.

If we had a leader who was only head of STATE (i.e., only to represent the country and without any power), then the people could either admire him/her or ignore him/her.
All anger would be directed to a prime minister, who as head of GOVERNMENT holds the power and makes the decisions.

Most Americans, for example, admire or ignore the First Lady. She is above politics. Only a few members have ever posted unkind comments about her. The vast majority completely ignore her.

If you get time, check out YouTube for today's ceremony in which Crown Prince Naruhito became Emperor Naruhito. The ceremony was so dignified and uplifting. It is so nice to see everyone acting with good manners. That's the kind of models that our young people need.




Have a nice day!
 
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Our celebrity President is exactly the point. Thats what you get when you dont abolish all forms of state endorsed celebrity worship like the Monarchy and the powerful Executive. But much like the Japanese, I cant force americans to wake up and stop being followers. Theyll have to learn the hard way.
 

I hope that Dimble J. Tweetytits doesn't cause an international incident by splashing orange body paint on the emperor by accident.
 
jonny5 said:
Much like the UK, I wish one of these celebrities would retire the whole thing to the museum. Monarchy in a democracy simply has no purpose anymore except nostalgia. That said, its not really hurting anyone either.
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The UK monarchy is nothing more than a money spinner.

Great for tourism, memorabilia, selling newspapers and magazines, and a pompousness that most other English speaking nations can't seem to get enough of.

When demand for all of the above runs low, that'll be the end of the Monarchy.
 
EMPEROR ALERT

Our wonderful President and beautiful First Lady will meet His Imperial Majesty Emperor Naruhito on Monday and also attend a state dinner at the Palace.

Other foreign dignitaries will have to wait until October before meeting His Imperial Majesty.

We Americans are being given special treatment.

(I hope that President Trump remembers to button his suit jacket this time.)

I join you in eagerly looking forward to watching the meeting on TV or on the Web.
 
I have just returned from YouTube where I saw some videos of the President and the First Lady attending a sumo match.

The people there applauded and cheered him. When he entered the ring to award a trophy to a sumo wrestler, he even bowed a little lower than is usual for him. (He just nodded when he met the former emperor on an earlier visit.)

He looked so happy. I also read that there have NO protest demonstrations in Tokyo, unlike some European cities. When he goes to London soon, there will be demos, sadly.


How sad that some (not all) Dems cannot give him the civil treatment that he craves. If they did, he would surprise them by how cooperative he can be.

Tomorrow (Monday), Our First Couple will meet His Imperial Majesty Emperor Naruhito and the Empress. I hope that he bows a respectable distance. I thought that President Obama was right to bow deeply. The Republicans were wrong to criticize him for doing so.
 
For a President who claims his love for the military and veterans, he picked a strange time to be overseas, imo.
 


Might want to “return” to YOUTUBE; how far a journey is it anyway?

 
Rexedgar said:
For a President who claims his love for the military and veterans, he picked a strange time to be overseas, imo.
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I agree 100%.


Last night I was fantasizing about how healing it would be if the President, the First Lady, and the 535 members of the House and Senate were able to go together to Arlington National Cemetery to show their respect and gratitude to the people who gave their lives for this country.


To see the President and members of Congress actually treating one another with common decency and humility would have been so uplifting.
 
Rexedgar said:
Might want to “return” to YOUTUBE; how far a journey is it anyway?

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Thank you for that video.

I had read that there were no demos.

Apparently, the writer was mistaken.

I am guessing, however, that the demo was more anti-war than anti-Trump. One protester was holding a picture of that destroyer that is being converted into Japan's first aircraft carrier. I can understand why many Japanese NEVER want to return to the militarism of the past.
 
Rexedgar said:
For a President who claims his love for the military and veterans, he picked a strange time to be overseas, imo.
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Would you have been happy if Trump took Hillary with him to wrestle the fat sumo wrestlers?Hillary in her classic pant suit might have won.
 
gulfman said:
Would you have been happy if Trump took Hillary with him to wrestle the fat sumo wrestlers?Hillary in her classic pant suit might have won.
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Ha ha, good one.......Trump’s belt could be cut in half and each of his golf buddies would have to cinch it up to make it work.

View attachment 67257144
 
LATEST UPDATE (sources: YouTube, Google, Daily Mail)

1. The President and the First Lady (dressed elegantly as usual) met their Imperial Majesties at the Palace.

2. The President shook hands with His Imperial Majesty. The former did not even nod, let alone bow.

a. When the President met the previous emperor, he did nod. Maybe because the previous emperor was elderly, the President had felt the need to show a little more respect.


3. The President and First Lady had interpreters, but it appeared that occasionally they spoke in English. His Majesty attended the university in England, and Her Majesty attended secondary school and the university here in the States.


4. I saw a clip of the Trumps arriving for the State Dinner. The President shook His Majesty's hand and then affectionally touched his arm. I noticed that President Obama also used to pat foreign dignitaries. Hopefully, our protocol officials can gently advise our presidents not to touch foreign leaders.
 
LATEST UPDATE


I have just returned from YouTube where there are now a few videos of President Macron and his wife arriving at the Imperial Palace to meet Emperor Naruhito and the Empress.


There is also a short (silent) video of them exchanging small talk inside the Palace. The room is plain, dignified, and austere. Very impressive.


It is so nice to see leaders acting like adults and treating one another with mutual respect.
 

How about "Your majesty" or "His Royal Highness"?
 
The rough draft of the 1787 constitution produced by the convention says the president shall be addressed as "his excellency". Fortunately that didn't make it into the final draft.

If you saw the series John Adams on HBO he tried to put a motion on the floor of the Senate to have the President addressed as "His Highness the President of the United States". He was widely criticized for it, and Washington himself said "It's Mr President...nothing more."
 
Thing about saying the name of the Emperor of Japan: Never call him Emperor Naruhito. Living or dead, the Emperor of Japan is never called by his given name. This also applies to the living retired "emperor emeritus", who is never called Akihito. This is very important to avoid an imperial faux pas if you're ever in Japan or talking to Japanese.

When an emperor is still alive, they can only be called:

* His Majesty the Emperor (Tenno Heika)
* His Current Majesty (Kinjo Heika)
* The Emperor (Tenno)

Until his death, the emperor who just retired is called:

* The Emperor Emeritus (Daijo Tenno)
* or just for short, "Joko"

Now, AFTER an emperor's death, they still are never called in their given name. Instead, their "posthumous name" is the name of their Era, which was decided upon at their accession. Currently, it is the Reiwa Era, so the new emperor will be styled "Reiwa Tenno" posthumously. When the Emperor Emeritus dies, he will thereafter be styled "Heisei Tenno"; but never until then.

Thus, the Japanese never call the wartime emperor (reigned 1926 to 1989) as "Emperor Hirohito" as we do in the West; but the Emperor Showa (Showa-Tenno).


I have no idea what to call the Empress, or her mother-in-law, the Empress Emeritus. Of course, we always refer to a non-reigning Queen (wife of a king) as Your Majesty in the West. I am not aware of a convention involving a posthumous name for Her Imperial Majesty.
 
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