Japan's imperial family applauds officers at martial arts tournament

Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko watch kendo, judo and archery at an event marking the Imperial Guard's 140th anniversary.

Channel: TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN ·

JapanStory of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN's most watched videos since yesterday, with 214,029 views.

TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN: The news channel of JNN, a Japanese news network led by TBS. 3.4M subscribers and 5.8B views.

【天皇ご一家】両陛下と愛子さまが皇宮警察の武道大会を観戦 / 柔道・剣道・弓道の試合をご覧に皇宮護衛官らに拍手も【ハイライト】（2026年11月11日）

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0:00The imperial family arrives by car and exchanges bows with the welcoming officials.
2:10Seated beside the competition area, the family watches kendo and applauds successful techniques.
8:50A drum signal accompanies a standing bow before the move to the judo competition.
13:46The judo final's decision brings applause; a special women's match follows.
16:49Kyudo finalists begin shooting as the family watches quietly from the archery hall's viewing seats.

Bamboo swords meet in the dojo as Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, watch from the spectators' seats. When the exchanges produce a result, the imperial family joins the applause.

The November 11 visit was to a martial arts tournament commemorating the Imperial Guard's 140th anniversary, according to Japan's TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN. The force protects the imperial family and imperial properties; its present-day organization is a civilian law-enforcement body within the National Police Agency.

The footage follows the family from their arrival by car, exchanging smiles and bows with those welcoming them, through competitions in three disciplines. Kendo comes first, with the family watching the sword-fighting exchanges and applauding successful techniques.

A drum signal accompanies a standing bow before the move to judo. Naruhito and Masako follow the bouts closely, while Aiko also exchanges words with someone seated beside her. After the final's decision is announced, the family applauds and briefly chats. A special women's judo match follows.

The final part of the visit takes them to the archery hall for kyudo, the Japanese bow discipline. Here the pace changes: the family sits quietly as the finalists draw their bows.

The extended highlights drew about 214,000 views since yesterday. Rather than a narrated account of the engagement, much of the video lets the tournament unfold through the sounds of competition, applause and formal announcements.