The government-sponsored ceremony on Thursday (Nov. 12) to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Emperor's enthronement serves as an occasion to express people's respect and affection not only for the Emperor but also for the Imperial couple and the rest of the Imperial family.

By ascending to the Chrysanthemum Throne on Jan. 7, 1989, just after the death of his father, the Emperor Showa, the Emperor became the first to do so under the postwar Constitution. Article 1 of that document says, "The Emperor shall be the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power."

In a Nov. 12, 1990, enthronement ceremony held inside the Imperial Palace, the Emperor declared his determination to uphold the Constitution: "I swear to fulfill the duties as the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people by always wishing for the happiness of the people and by abiding by the Constitution."