Japan grants half a million pardons to mark enthronement of emperor Naruhito
Japan has pardoned more than half a million people found guilty of petty crimes such as traffic violations to mark the formal ascension of Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum throne.
Naruhito proclaimed himself Japan's new emperor and vowed to "stand with the people" after performing a series of ancient rituals on Tuesday that culminated in his appearance on the imperial throne alongside his wife, Empress Masako.
The 59-year-old, who ascended the throne in May following the abdication of his father, Akihito, marked his official enthronement in front of around 2,000 guests, including heads of state and other royals from more than 180 countries.
[...] To mark the occasion on Tuesday, Abe's ultra-conservative government granted pardons to about 550,000 eligible applicants. The decision was not publicly debated.
The pre-war custom of clemency by the emperor, who was revered as a god in those days, has triggered criticism as being undemocratic and politically motivated. At the time of former Akihito's enthronement, 2.5 million people were given amnesty.
Also at CNN, Asahi Shimbun, and Japan Times.
Previously: MonarchyNews: The King is My Co-Pilot and Japanese Succession "Crisis"
Japan Clears Way for Emperor to Step Down in 1st Abdication in 200 Years
Big Tech Warns of 'Japan's Millennium Bug' Ahead of Akihito's Abdication
Japan's Next Era to be Called "Reiwa"
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King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has revealed to a Dutch newspaper that he has flown as a co-pilot for the airline KLM about twice per month for the last 21 years. His flying hobby will require retraining to fly Boeing 737s, as the airline is phasing out its Fokker 70s. The King says he was not recognized often, especially after 9/11 as passengers now have less contact with the cockpit.
Japan's Princess Mako will reportedly lose royal status due to marrying a commoner, as Japan's current imperial law requires. The move is "expected to reignite debate" over the nation's imperial succession law and is "raising fresh questions about the status of women in the imperial family". Emperor Akihito, who is 83, has recently hinted that he wants to step down, which would require a legislative change or a one-time exemption. [This bill is expected to be introduced on Friday.] Only males can currently become Emperor, and there are only four heirs left to the Chrysanthemum Throne. However, the restriction on female succession dates back to an 1889 Meiji government law, and was retained in the 1947 postwar Constitution. Japan has had six Empress regnants in the past, the most recent reigning from 1762 to 1771. The sons of female royal family members are also not currently in the line of succession, as only the male offspring of the male line can succeed the throne.
MonarchyNews is subjects.
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Japan has passed legislation paving the way for 83-year-old Emperor Akihito to abdicate. The law sets the stage for the first abdication of a reigning monarch in two centuries, in a royal family which has a history stretching back 2,600 years.
[...] According to the 1947 Imperial House Law that regulates the line of imperial succession, the emperor cannot step down. The last Japanese monarch to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku, who left in favor of his son back in 1817.
Another issue the Japanese government will discuss is the continuity of the heirs, as women are not allowed to inherit the throne. Additionally, a woman from the imperial family who marries outside the family is then excluded. Akihito has another son, Prince Akishino, and a grandson, Hisahito, aged just 10. All the other members of the royal family are female.
Source: RT
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Emperor's 2019 exit will be first era change of information age, and switchover could be as big as Y2K say industry figures
[...] On 30 April 2019, Emperor Akihito of Japan is expected to abdicate the chrysanthemum throne. The decision was announced in December 2017 so as to ensure an orderly transition to Akihito's son, Naruhito, but the coronation could cause concerns in an unlikely place: the technology sector.
The Japanese calendar counts up from the coronation of a new emperor, using not the name of the emperor, but the name of the era they herald. Akihito's coronation in January 1989 marked the beginning of the Heisei era, and the end of the Shōwa era that preceded him; and Naruhito's coronation will itself mark another new era.
But that brings problems. For one, Akihito has been on the throne for almost the entirety of the information age, meaning that many systems have never had to deal with a switchover in era. For another, the official name of Naruhito's era has yet to be announced, causing concern for diary publishers, calendar printers and international standards bodies.
It's why some are calling it "Japan's Y2K problem".
"The magnitude of this event on computing systems using the Japanese Calendar may be similar to the Y2K event with the Gregorian Calendar," said Microsoft's Shawn Steele. "For the Y2K event, there was world-wide recognition of the upcoming change, resulting in governments and software vendors beginning to work on solutions for that problem several years before 1 Jan 2000. Even with that preparation many organisations encountered problems due to the millennial transition.
[...] A much harder problem faces Unicode, the international standards organisation which most famously controls the introduction of new emojis to the world. Since Japanese computers use one character to represent the entire era name (compressing Heisei into ㍻ rather than 平成, for instance), Unicode needs to set the standard for that new character. But it can't do that until it knows what it's called, and it won't know that until late February at best. Unfortunately, version 12 of Unicode is due to come out in early March, which means it needs to be finished before then, and can't be delayed.
New Era Name 'Reiwa' Defines Japan As Emperor Akihito Prepares To Abdicate
Japan has revealed the name of its next imperial era to be "Reiwa," set to begin May 1 as Crown Prince Naruhito is expected to take the throne.
Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, announced the name at a press conference Monday morning local time, unveiling a board with the two kanji characters written on it. While there was some deliberation over the exact meaning, the two characters that make up the new name, or the "gengo," translate roughly to "good fortune" and "peace" or "harmony," according to The Japan Times.
"We hope [the era name] will be widely accepted by the people and deeply rooted as part of their daily lives," Suga told reporters.
The announcement comes as the current "Heisei" era draws to a close after three decades, with Emperor Akihito set to step down on April 30 in the first abdication of the throne in over 200 years.
[...]Announcing the name one month in advance gives companies and government entities time to incorporate the name into paperwork and computer systems, The Guardian reports. Even as the Western calendar has become more widespread in Japan, the era name is still used frequently, including on newspapers, coins and official documents like driving licenses. Under the system, 2019 is known as Heisei 31, or the 31st year of Akihito's reign.
Also at BBC.
See also: Japan's New Era Gets a Name, but No One Can Agree What It Means
Previously: MonarchyNews: The King is My Co-Pilot and Japanese Succession "Crisis"
Japan Clears Way for Emperor to Step Down in 1st Abdication in 200 Years
Big Tech Warns of 'Japan's Millennium Bug' Ahead of Akihito's Abdication
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @07:34PM (10 children)
War crime apologists pardon more criminals. What's new?
(Score: 3, Touché) by ikanreed on Tuesday October 22 2019, @07:42PM
The particular old wrinkly ass sitting on a throne.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by krishnoid on Tuesday October 22 2019, @08:10PM (1 child)
Pardoning the little people, rather than other war criminals?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @10:16PM
"rather than other war criminals?"
Like kowtowing at yasukuni war crime shrine?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Bot on Tuesday October 22 2019, @08:17PM (6 children)
Soon in this thread: people OK with illegal migrants, NGO helping the mafia cartels, the cultural impact of importing with a red carpet people considering us infidels, but not OK with forgetting about a traffic ticket, because un-elected emperor. As if aristocracy weren't a better barrier than democracy against those guys using $$$ to corrupt anything. Whatever.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @08:27PM
Hey bot, I see that the diodes on your left side are all blown up. Get your metallic butt into a service center, or else ...
(Score: 3, Insightful) by pipedwho on Tuesday October 22 2019, @09:04PM
Can't have the emperor interfering with the revenue stream.
When there are laws on the books that assumes guilt, give you no way to defend yourself, and impose hefty fines in lieu of something that would otherwise cost the state money, then you know the purpose has nothing to do with justice.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 23 2019, @07:22AM (3 children)
If anything, I would think that people on the left would be more inclined to be okay with pardoning people for petty crimes in general. What the hell are you talking about?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 23 2019, @09:19AM (2 children)
>I would think that people on the left would be more inclined to be okay with pardoning people for petty crimes in general.
so you did find lefties applauding the emperors' move?
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday October 23 2019, @05:17PM (1 child)
A an official card carrying lefty I approve this move.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday October 24 2019, @02:23PM
Your card is revoked, you doormat of the Bourgeoisie.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday October 22 2019, @07:39PM
I was going to post something about the USA's treatment of monarchies and point out that we overthrew the Hawaiian Monarchy. So, we've definitely had issues with at least one Monarchy. Though, perhaps that was more of a greed issue more than anything.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/americans-overthrow-hawaiian-monarchy [history.com]
Then, all the comments went poof for some reason. Or maybe that's just on my end?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @07:39PM (1 child)
Finally made it.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by takyon on Tuesday October 22 2019, @07:45PM
He Naruto ran all the way to the throne.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @08:24PM (4 children)
Next up, the USA
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/457821-andrew-yang-promises-mass-pardon-to-those-imprisoned-for-nonviolent [thehill.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @08:35PM (1 child)
Carter started it by pardoning everybody who didn't want to become cannon fodder for the elites.
(Score: 4, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday October 22 2019, @09:53PM
Ford started it by pardoning "Not a crook" Nixon.
Who should have died in prison.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by pipedwho on Tuesday October 22 2019, @09:11PM
And by extension I assume all the other candidates are riding proudly on the authoritarian bandwagon and stand steadfastly by the status quo of extreme jackbooted government policy.
Pardoning people that shouldn't even be in prison is a no brainer. Keeping there shows apathy to the population. Exactly why people keep voting in politicians of the latter colour boggles the mind more than slipping LSD into aunt Betty's Christmas pudding.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Barenflimski on Tuesday October 22 2019, @09:39PM
That would be a great start.
I'd rather have my neighbors helping around town. Paying for them to be locked up doing nothing is a drain on society in so many ways. People do what they do. We have gated communities for those so morally outraged by this sort of common sense policy.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @10:53PM (1 child)
I thought slant-eyes were law abiding Confucians (except war crimes). Where did they find half a million to pardon?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @10:58PM
Used to be they would commit hara-kiri when they got parking tickets, but since that practice was outlawed there are a lot more living criminals.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday October 23 2019, @12:36AM (7 children)
In describing the actions of an emperor, they actually used "undemocratic". HINT: An emperor is not elected. He either takes his empire from others, with violence, or he inherits the position. The very concept of empire has virtually no relationship to "democracy". That despite the fact that a couple generations have attempted to dress that empire in democratic looking clothes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 23 2019, @12:55AM
My understanding is that, much like the UK, their parliament is elected, which would I think qualify as a (type of) democracy. But I guess you see the world differently.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday October 23 2019, @01:38AM (5 children)
I think it's a great philosophical statement: "We have a new emperor, that matters more than your parking ticket, it is a new day in the empire and as a demonstration of the emperor's power we are forgiving these petty offences."
One would also assume that if you manage to piss the emperor off, you can expect a heavier than average hand of justice to fall on you.
Or, we could just talk about the royal clothing choices in the tabloids incessantly like the UK does... I think I prefer the Japanese way.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday October 23 2019, @11:53AM (4 children)
It's almost as if they're reading from the same script as this lot were millennia ago: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%201:20-22&version=DARBY
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday October 23 2019, @12:34PM (1 child)
As long as the Emperor keeps his business around the level of parking tickets, and otherwise is fair and just, I think it's all good.
If he strays into adverse eminent domain property seizures without adequate compensation, or baseless imprisonments, well... assassination is a time honored tradition, too.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday October 23 2019, @04:43PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday October 23 2019, @06:00PM (1 child)
The emperor has become obsolete exactly for this reason. You have a clear chain of command. You know whom to point your pitchfork against. Of course, in practice you have to fear the guys between you and the emperor quite a lot more. But, the point I am going to make is: you are probably enslaved by making ends meet, or make enough money because you control enough people making ends meet. So your freedom is limited by your need to make money to pay taxes (often with no presumption of innocence), to cover public debt first and service second, with a bureaucracy that in absence of shakedowns will get even more byzantine. Which is not a problem in itself. The problem arises from the fact that every nation is in debt. So, where are the creditors.
The emperor may come back once technocracy succeeds in rendering most people harmless. There will be no need to hide from them.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 23 2019, @07:31PM
>The problem arises from the fact that every nation is in debt
Not exactly, but good guess.