Unable to hold the traditional well-wishing event, Emperor Naruhito, turning 60, only wished for the COVID-19 to dissipate so that the Summer Olympics may continue as planned. (Image via The Straits Times)

Emperor Naruhito turns 60, offers sympathy for the COVID-19 patients

Celebrating his 60th birthday, the Emperor of Japan, Emperor Naruhito, offered his sympathy for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients. Due to the viral outbreak, the traditional gathering of well-wishers outside the Royal Palace and other festivities was canceled.

Emperor Naruhito celebrated his first birthday as the Emperor of Japan. Meanwhile, the Japanese culture saw age 60 as a landmark age in the Japanese zodiac calendar.

One of the festivities was the event where Emperor Naruhito will greet and wave from the Palace’s balcony to the tens of thousands of well-wishers. Speaking to the press on his birthday, the Emperor offered his sympathy to the affected families and people of Japan.

Moreover, the Emperor also hoped that the infection will be alleviated.

Currently, Japan has confirmed more than 750 new confirmed cases, the majority came from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked and quarantined in Yokohama.

Let alone the ship, the COVID-19 has spread further in Japan, making its way from Okinawa to Hokkaido. The medical experts said that it was only the beginning for Japan and urged the government to prepare for the worst.

As the number might heighten, more events, festivals, and concerts were called off. It raised people’s concern whether the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo will be canceled, moved, or postponed.

For his birthday, the Emperor also wished that he may watch the Olympics in Tokyo again, as he once saw when he was 4 years old in 1964. Emperor Naruhito held the 1964 Summer Olympics special as his first “interaction” with the world.

Source: https://bit.ly/37TZHO6