Although the opening ceremonies will be more subdued when compared to previous Olympics mainly because of lack of live spectators, Emperor Naruhito still opted to grace the opening and lend his imperial presence to somewhat inspire all the participants and guests. He is the third emperor to have accepted the role of honorary patron and the first to have assumed it for both the Olympics and Paralympics.
Japan's Emperor Naruhito will attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics – alone.
He is due to declare the Olympics open at the ceremony on Friday next week at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
The opening ceremony will have no spectators, due to the resurgence in coronavirus infections in Japan.
Only Games officials and Japanese and foreign VIPs will be in the stands.
However, imperial family members are unlikely to watch other Olympic events at venues after organizers decided earlier this month to stage almost all of the competitions behind closed doors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to the official.
The 61-year-old emperor, who formally ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, 2019, is the honorary patron of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Emperor Naruhito is the third emperor to have accepted the role of honorary patron and the first to have assumed it for both the Olympics and Paralympics.
His father, Emperor Akihito, declared the opening of the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, while his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, proclaimed the start of both the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games and the 1972 Sapporo Winter Games.
The Olympic Charter stipulates that the host country's head of state proclaims the games open.
The charter lists examples of how to declare the opening and contain the word "celebrating."
But Japanese organizers are seeking to refrain from using a jubilant expression as much as possible, according to the official.
Considering the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the government and the organizing committee are planning to omit the word, commonly used in past Olympic opening ceremonies, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It is also said that the emperor will meet with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Thursday afternoon at the Imperial Palace.
There will be no eating and drinking involved, and they will speak while maintaining sufficient physical distancing, it said.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics will officially begin on July 23. (NP)
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