WORLD : Royal Marriage in Japan Sealed
Kiko Kawashima, a college graduate student, accepted gifts from the imperial palace today, formally sealing her engagement to Emperor Akihito’s son, Prince Aya.
“I humbly state my acceptance,” Kawashima, wearing a pink kimono and gold sash, said as imperial chamberlain Yasuo Shigeta presented her with a list of the gifts.
The gifts--two large fish placed face to face, six bottles of rice wine and three bolts of silken cloth--had been taken to the Kawashima residence and carefully arranged on separate tables before Shigeta’s arrival.
Kawashima and Prince Aya, who is second in line to the throne after his elder brother, are to be married in late June, and the government plans to spend about $1 million for the lavish ceremony and receptions afterward.
It will be the first royal marriage since 1984, and is expected to be a welcome respite after a year of mourning Emperor Hirohito’s death last January.
Today’s ceremony, which lasted less than one hour, was followed later in the day by courtesy calls on the emperor, Empress Michiko and Aya by top government officials, including heads of the legislature and Supreme Court.
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