EMPEROR MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE ASCENDING THRONE天皇陛下 即位から１年

apanese Emperor Naruhito has marked one year since ascending the throne as the country remains under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus.
The emperor was seen wearing a face mask as he entered the Imperial Palace to attend a ritual on Friday morning.

The emperor proclaimed his accession in a ceremony last October.
Over the past year, the emperor, along with Empress Masako, visited three prefectures for annual events formerly attended by Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko.
The imperial couple also traveled to the northeastern prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima in the aftermath of the deadly storm, Typhoon Hagibis.

But the pandemic has forced the couple to scale back their activities this year, and a planned visit to the United Kingdom was postponed.
The emperor expressed his gratitude to frontline healthcare workers and expressed concern over the impact the virus has had on people's lives.

◆ascend 高い地位に就く、（皇位などを）継承する     written to climb something or move to a higher position 

◆accession  即位    an official process in which someone becomes king, queen, president etc → succession 

◆Emeritus　名誉待遇の     

◆in the aftermath　～の直後に      

◆scale back （規模などを）縮小する     to reduce the amount or size of something → decrease