Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement draws royals and leaders from 170 countries

Prince Charles, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohmmad bin Salman, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan are expected to attend the Oct 22 ceremony

But South Korean President Moon Jae-in is likely to give it a miss, as Seoul and Tokyo are locked in a trade dispute fuelled by historical and territorial disagreements

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Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 3:42pm, 8 Oct 2019Updated: 10:39pm, 8 Oct 2019

The list of foreign dignitaries confirmed to attend the enthronement ceremony of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito on October 22 is growing, although South Korean President Moon Jae-in will be conspicuously absent.

Seoul has decided to send Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon to the ceremony in the place of Moon, diplomatic sources told Japanese media.

“It’s not really a shock given the bad feeling between the two countries at present,” said Robert Dujarric, a professor of international relations at the Tokyo campus of Temple University. “It would have been, at the very least, awkward for him to have to smile and shake hands with Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe and there would have been questions about just where to put him and questions about security.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Photo: dpa

Attending a ceremony in honour of the grandson of emperor Hirohito – who many South Koreans hold responsible for the invasion and brutal subjugation of the Korean peninsula from 1910-45 – would not have played well with many of Moon’s supporters, Dujarric said.

Deep divisions remain between Seoul and Tokyo dating to the period of Japanese colonial rule, exacerbated last year when South Korean courts ruled victims of forced labour were entitled to compensation. Tokyo insists all claims were settled under the 1965 treaty that normalised relations.