TOKYO: Presentation of Credentials – France Carriage Procession | Japan

France – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary H.E. Ms. Béatrice LE FRAPER DU HELLEN Carriage Procession Order – April 28, 2026 1st: French Republic 2nd: United Republic of Tanzania 00:00 Ambassador of France arrives at Tokyo Station 01:11 Imperial carriage procession arrives at Tokyo Station 04:15 Ambassador of France heads to the Imperial Palace by carriage 08:21 Ambassador of France returns to Tokyo Station by carriage 12:21 Imperial carriage procession returns to the Imperial Palace 14:28 Ambassador of France leaves Tokyo Station by official car Same-day / 2nd Procession (United Republic of Tanzania) video:    • TOKYO: Presentation of Credentials – Tanza...   The Presentation of Credentials is a diplomatic ceremony in which a newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary presents letters of credence to His Majesty the Emperor. The ceremony is held at the Imperial Palace in the presence of ministers and senior officials representing the Government of Japan. The carriage procession seen in this ceremony preserves the form of diplomatic protocol established at a time when horse-drawn carriages were the formal means of transportation for state occasions. At that time, carriages were widely used in official ceremonies in major countries, while automobiles had not yet become a practical or established means of ceremonial transport in terms of reliability and performance. Introduced under those diplomatic and technological conditions, carriage transportation has been maintained as part of imperial diplomatic protocol since the first Presentation of Credentials in 1871. On the day of the ceremony, the newly appointed ambassador arrives at Tokyo Station by official vehicle and, according to the ambassador’s preference, proceeds to the Imperial Palace either in an imperial state vehicle (Toyota Century Royal) or in a ceremonial carriage. The ceremonial carriage currently in use, State Carriage No. 4, was manufactured in Japan in 1913. With its lacquered body and the Imperial crest rendered in gold takamaki-e lacquer, it incorporates design elements that reflect the distinctive character of Japanese decorative arts, and it continues to be used in official imperial ceremonies more than a century after its manufacture. The attire worn by the coachmen and carriage attendants is based on the Imperial Household Ordinance on Official Uniforms enacted in 1911. The uniforms follow the style of court dress shown in the ordinance’s appended illustrations, consisting of knee-fastened breeches and long stockings, and attire based on these period designs remains in use today.