Members of the public will have the chance to greet the new Emperor on May 4, just days after Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne, Imperial Household Agency officials said Monday.
Emperor Akihito is set to abdicate on April 30 — the first living Japanese monarch to do so in about two centuries — and the Crown Prince will succeed him the following day.
The agency had planned to allow commoners to make congratulatory visits to the Imperial Palace after the Sokuirei Seiden no Gi ceremony on Oct. 22 to proclaim the enthronement.