The Imperial family will offer New Year greetings at the Imperial Palace for the first time in three years to a limited number of well-wishers who applied in advance, the Imperial Household Agency announced.
The agency started accepting applications for the Jan. 2 event from Wednesday, and will hold a lottery if the event is over-subscribed. The previous two New Year greetings were cancelled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The Emperor and Empress and other members of the Imperial family will appear on the balcony of the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, in the morning and afternoon to receive greetings from the public.