Emperor Naruhito of Japan, accompanied by members of his family, bid farewell to New Year’s visitors waving flags, whom he welcomed at the Imperial Palace on Friday.

Pictures showed him standing with his wife, Masako, and the rest of the imperial family, wishing a happy new year to people lined up below the palace balcony, some of whom were shouting “banzai,” which is Japanese for “long live.”

The emperor’s New Year’s visit to the palace in Tokyo, accompanied by members of his family, always attracts massive audiences to what otherwise seem to be secluded palace environments in central Tokyo.

People line up in long queues, enduring the elements of the cold for each appearance throughout the day, because the imperial family has a certain popularity.

The emperor is without political power but is a significant part of the history and culture in Japan. The emperor and royal family are known peace-loving individuals, though World War II occurred in the name of Naruhito’s paternal grandfather, Hirohito.

In an earlier statement, Naruhito pointed out that the year before had been the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. He emphasized the relevance of the message regarding the promotion of peace since war and conflict had continued elsewhere in the world.

“I deeply feel that it’s crucial to carry on activities among people in terms of dialogue, in an attempt to promote a better understanding, in order to build a world in peace,” he stated in a statement.

In both the statement and comment on Friday, he talked about natural disasters that happened recently, including earthquakes, floods, and snow, as well as fires in forests.

In 2024, the annual event was cancelled due to the quake on New Year’s Day in the Noto Peninsula, a coastal area in central Japan, where hundreds of people lost their lives. In 2021 and 2022, it was cancelled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Imperial family’s only daughter, Princess Aiko, accompanied her parents at this year’s audience, as well as other members of the family. She is the focus of a heated domestic discussion over provisions granting the right of inheritance only to the males of the dynasty.

Naruhito’s nephew, Hisahito, who is now participating in formal imperial ceremonies and may become the next emperor since he is the second in line after his father, the emperor’s brother, also drew media attention.

His father, Akihito, and the emperor emeritus since the abdication of former Emperor Akihito in 2019, was also attending, and he was accompanied by