With subtle language change, Japan's emperor 'commemorates' solemn Games

FILE PHOTO: Japan's Emperor Naruhito speaks during a news conference on the occasion of his 61st birthday on February 23, 2021, at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, in this handout photo taken on February 19, 2021 and released by Imperial Household Agency of Japan on February 22, 2021. Imperial Household Agency of Japan/Handout via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's Emperor Naruhito opened the Tokyo Olympics on Friday with a subtle departure from the script his grandfather used in 1964, a shift reflecting the solemnity of the Games being held in the shadow of a pandemic.

Unlike his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, who used the word "celebrate" in declaring the Games open, the 61-year-old Naruhito opted for a more neutral Japanese word closer to "commemorate".