TOKYO: Presentation of Credentials – Portugal & Sudan Carriage Procession | Japan

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. On this occasion, His Excellency Mr. Gilberto Jorge de Sousa JERÓNIMO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Portuguese Republic, and His Excellency Mr. Elrayih Mohamed Elawad HYDUOB, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Sudan, presented their credentials to His Majesty the Emperor. 00:00 Ambassador of Portugal arrives at Tokyo Station by official car 00:17 Imperial carriage procession arrives at Tokyo Station 03:21 Ambassador of Portugal heads to the Imperial Palace by carriage 07:54 Ambassador of Sudan arrives at Tokyo Station by official car 08:40 Imperial carriage procession arrives at Tokyo Station 12:00 Ambassador of Sudan heads to the Imperial Palace by carriage 14:55 Ambassador of Portugal returns to Tokyo Station by carriage 18:10 Imperial carriage procession returns to the Imperial Palace 19:37 Ambassador of Portugal departs Tokyo Station by official car 21:56 Ambassador of Sudan returns to Tokyo Station by carriage 25:38 Imperial carriage procession returns to the Imperial Palace 26:53 Ambassador of Sudan departs Tokyo Station by official car June 12, 2025