Panel OKs bill to mark emperor's 20th anniversary with holiday

Wednesday 22nd October, 11:54 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 22 Total Comments Show All

Altria at 02:43 PM JST - 22nd October

Banzai!!!
jleeterion at 02:51 PM JST - 22nd October

And when will X-mas become a public holiday?
Pivot at 03:19 PM JST - 22nd October

Why on earth should X-mas be a public holiday here? It's not a Christian country, nor anglo-saxon, was never colonized by the Brits or other Christian countries.

WaDisruptor, perhaps you should move. I recommend Kyoto. I have only seen a black truck a few times in 4 years here. Amazingly leftist, considering it's history.
Beelzebub at 03:53 PM JST - 22nd October

The only thing we can be sure about is that some sleazy politician will find a way to take advantage of it. That seems to be the sole justification for the continuance of the imperial system.
Goals0 at 05:03 PM JST - 22nd October

Pivot. You mustn't live near Kyoto Kaikan. Every month or two I have to put up with a couple of hours of 20 or 30 trucks circling blaring their nonsense.
WaDisruptor at 05:05 PM JST - 22nd October

WaDisruptor, perhaps you should move. I recommend Kyoto. I have only seen a black truck a few times in 4 years here. Amazingly leftist, considering it's history.

Thanks for the advice, but the wife's family are here in The Nag, so no move anytime soon. I'd love to though. I've been to Kyoto about 8 times in the five years I've lived in Japan.

Moderator: Back on topic please.
ptolemy at 07:11 PM JST - 22nd October

Hokkaidoguy, what do you expect from many who will find something to complain about having a day off. Unless of course they work for the typical eikaiwa that requires their drones to work any and all holidays due to "client demand". In which case these careerless drones have no holiday. The reason they have no career, well judging from their posts they complain about any and everything. The second case is they may be internet trolls who do not actually live in Japan. In any case, I will be in Meijo Koen in Nagoya in Nov 2009 bbq-ing with my family enjoying the day off.
Schoolboyerror at 08:03 PM JST - 22nd October

Is the article wrong? If he ascended to the throne officially in 1990, next year will be his 19th anniversary.

Well, JT?
Angelo at 09:11 PM JST - 22nd October

Why not celebrate by resting for a whole week? Is this event only worth one short work-day? I am very disappointed...
plasticmonkey at 09:52 PM JST - 22nd October

This is a limited-edition holiday. Only once! And then if marketing research shows people like it, they'll repeat it again and again. Like the Tsukimi Egg Burger.
rekka at 10:07 PM JST - 22nd October

Next September my Japanese co-worker told me that Autumnal Equinox day will be earlier than this year. It will be on the Wednesday after the respect for aged day, which falls on a Monday.

He said there's a law that if you have two public holidays in a week and there's a normal day inbetween them. (only one day) For example like next year, Monday and Wednesday that the day inbetween them must also be off. So next year we'll have Sat,Sun,Mon,Tues,Wed off in September.
BurakuminDes at 11:58 PM JST - 22nd October

I just wish the public and politicians in Australia would take note and invent some tenuous "national holidays" like the Japanese have, I mean, who actually goes out to celebrate Equinox Day, Green Day, Ocean Day, etc.... This country is certainly a paradise for government workers and Sarary-man.
fazool2 at 01:33 AM JST - 23rd October

Schoolboyerror; The 74-year-old emperor ASCENDED the throne Jan 7, 1989, following the death of his father, posthumously called Emperor Showa. 1989 + 20 years = 2009. He took charge and later had a formal ceremony with the requisite pomp and circumstance (a ceremony for his formal accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne took place Nov 12, 1990). Stop being pedantic and so deliberately obtuse - Emperors take over as soon as possible after the death of their predecessor; sometimes the full-blown ceremony has to wait due to planning or other issues.
Shumatsu_Samurai at 06:39 AM JST - 23rd October

hokkaidoguy, agreed. The emperor is a good sport and it's absolutely fair to have a national holiday on the date of his anniversary. Plenty of countries have holidays when the same happens there for their monarchs, so why not Japan?
Schoolboyerror at 12:39 PM JST - 23rd October

fazool2, sorry if this is tricky for you to understand, but seeing as the first time this national holiday will take place is not the 20th anniversary of anything, I thought a little clarification might help.