４月２１日に饗宴の儀　「立皇嗣の礼」簡素化―政府

　政府は２１日、皇位継承に伴う式典委員会（委員長・安倍晋三首相）を首相官邸で開き、秋篠宮さまが継承順位１位の皇嗣になられたことを広く国民に明らかにする「立皇嗣の礼」の概要を決定した。賓客を招いてお祝いする「宮中饗宴の儀」は４月２１日に開催。平成の代替わりの際に行われた「立太子の礼」を踏襲しつつ簡素化する。
　首相は席上、「皇位継承に伴う一連の式典の最後を飾る立皇嗣の礼が、国民の祝福の中で滞りなく行われるように引き続きお願いする」と述べた。
　饗宴の儀は計２回、立食形式で行われる。１回目は皇居・宮殿「豊明殿」で、首相ら国内の賓客が出席する。２回目は宮殿「春秋の間」で行われ、外交団を招く。いずれも３０分程度。立太子の礼では、２日間にわたり計３回、着席形式で催されたが、今回は負担軽減を図った。（2020/01/21-16:30）

A Japanese government committee at a meeting on Tuesday decided that two court banquets to be held as part of the "Rikkoshi-no-Rei" ceremonies to proclaim Crown Prince Akishino's rise to first in line to the throne will take place on April 21.
   The "Kyuchu-Kyoen-no-Gi" banquets will be relatively simple compared with those held during the previous similar ceremonies, "Rittaishi-no-Rei," in February 1991, which were designed to announce the elevation to first in line to the throne of Emperor Naruhito, then Crown Prince. Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne in May last year.
   "I want everyone concerned to make preparations for holding Rikkoshi-no-Rei, the last of a series of Imperial succession-related ceremonies, smoothly with the blessing from the public," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who chairs the committee, said at the meeting.
   The first of the buffet-style banquets will be held at the "Homeiden" state banquet hall at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, with participants set to include the prime minister and other guests from Japan. The second banquet will take place at the "Shunju-no-Ma" grand hall at the palace for foreign delegates. Each banquet will last about 30 minutes.
   For Rittaishi-no-Rei, three sit-down banquets took place over two days.