Akihito

Akihito was born as the fifth child and first son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kōjun. During the Second World War, he moved out of Tokyo with his classmates and remained in Nikkō until the surrender of Japan. In 1952, his Coming-of-Age ceremony and investiture as crown prince were held, and he began to undertake official duties in his capacity as crown prince. The next year, he made his first journey overseas and represented Japan at the coronation of Elizabeth II in London. He completed his university education in 1956. In April 1959, he married Michiko Shōda, a commoner; it was the first imperial wedding to be televised in Japan, drawing about 15 million viewers. The couple has three children: Naruhito, Fumihito, and Sayako.

Akihito succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne and became emperor upon his father's death in January 1989, with an enthronement ceremony in 1990. He made efforts to bring the Japanese imperial family closer to the Japanese people, and made official visits to all forty-seven prefectures of Japan and to many of the remote islands of Japan. He has a keen interest in natural life and conservation, as well as Japanese and world history. Akihito abdicated in 2019, citing his advanced age and declining health, and assumed the title Emperor Emeritus (上皇, Jōkō; lit. 'Retired Emperor'). He was succeeded by his elder son, Naruhito, whose era is named Reiwa (令和). At age 92, Akihito is the longest-lived verifiable Japanese emperor in recorded history. During his reign, 17 prime ministers served in 25 terms, beginning with Noboru Takeshita and ending with Shinzo Abe. He is the oldest living member of the Imperial House of Japan, following the death of Yuriko, Princess Mikasa, on 15 November 2024.

Name

During his reign, Akihito was never referred to by his own name, but instead as "His Majesty the Emperor" (天皇陛下, Tennō Heika) which may be shortened to "the Emperor" (天皇, Tennō) or "His Majesty" (陛下, Heika). The era of Akihito's reign from 1989 to 2019 bore the era name Heisei (平成), and according to custom he will be posthumously renamed Emperor Heisei (平成天皇, Heisei Tennō) as the 125th emperor of Japan by order of the Cabinet.

Following his abdication, Akihito is referred to by the title of Jōkō (上皇), officially translated as "Emperor Emeritus".

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Early life and education

Prince Akihito (明仁親王, Akihito Shinnō) was born on 23 December 1933 at 6:39 am in the Tokyo Imperial Palace as the fifth child and eldest son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kōjun. Titled Prince Tsugu (継宮, Tsugu-no-miya) as a child, Akihito was educated by private tutors prior to attending the elementary and secondary departments of the Peers' School (Gakushūin) from 1940 to 1952. At the request of his father, he did not receive a commission as an army officer, unlike his predecessors.

During the American firebombing raids on Tokyo in March 1945 during World War II, Akihito and his younger brother Prince Masahito were evacuated from the city. Akihito was tutored in the English language and Western manners by Elizabeth Gray Vining during the Allied occupation of Japan, and later briefly studied at the department of political science at Gakushuin University in Tokyo, though he never received a degree.

Akihito was the heir apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne from birth. His formal investiture as crown prince (立太子の礼, Rittaishi-no-rei) took place at the Tokyo Imperial Palace on 10 November 1952. In June 1953, Akihito represented Japan at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London on his first journey abroad. He later completed his university education as a special student in 1956.

Marriage and family

In August 1957, Akihito met Michiko Shōda on a tennis court at Karuizawa near Nagano. Initially, there was little enthusiasm for the couple's relationship; Michiko Shōda was considered too low class for the young Crown Prince and had been educated in a Catholic environment. Therefore, in September 1958, she was sent away to Brussels to attend an international conference of the Alumnae du Sacré-Cœur. The Crown Prince was determined to keep in contact with his girlfriend but did not want to create a diplomatic incident. Therefore, he contacted the young King Baudouin of Belgium to send his messages directly to his loved one. Baudouin later negotiated the marriage of the couple with the Emperor, directly stating that if the Crown Prince was happy with Michiko, he would be a better emperor later on.

The Imperial Household Council formally approved the engagement of the Crown Prince to Michiko Shōda on 27 November 1958. The announcement of Crown Prince Akihito's engagement and forthcoming marriage to Michiko Shōda drew opposition from traditionalist groups, because Shōda was from a Catholic family. Although she was never baptized, she had been educated in Catholic schools and seemed to share her parents' faith. Rumours also speculated that Prince Akihito's mother, Empress Kōjun had opposed the engagement. At that time, the media presented their encounter as a real "fairy tale", or the "romance of the tennis court". It was the first time a commoner had married into the Imperial Family, breaking more than 2,600 years of tradition. The engagement ceremony took place on 14 January 1959, and the marriage on 10 April 1959.

The couple have three children (two sons and a daughter):

Naruhito, Prince Hiro (浩宮徳仁親王, Hiro-no-miya Naruhito Shinnō; born 23 February 1960 at Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace, Tokyo)
Fumihito, Prince Aya (礼宮文仁親王, Aya-no-miya Fumihito Shinnō; born 30 November 1965 at Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace, Tokyo)
Sayako, Princess Nori (紀宮清子内親王, Nori-no-miya Sayako Naishinnō; born 18 April 1969 at Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace, Tokyo), following her marriage to urban designer Yoshiki Kuroda on 15 November 2005, Princess Nori gave up her imperial title and left the Imperial Family as required by 1947 Imperial Household Law, took the surname of her husband and became known as "Sayako Kuroda" (黒田清子, Kuroda Sayako).

Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko made official visits to thirty-seven countries. As an Imperial Prince, Akihito compared the role of Japanese royalty to that of a robot. He expressed the desire to help bring the Imperial family closer to the people of Japan.

Reign

Upon the death of Emperor Hirohito on 7 January 1989, Akihito acceded to the throne, becoming the 125th Emperor of Japan. Owing to his father being the longest-reigning emperor in Japanese history, Akihito was the third oldest to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne in history; he was 55 years old at the time. The enthronement ceremony took place on 12 November 1990. In 1998, during a state visit to the United Kingdom, he was invested with the Order of the Garter.

Following his accession, he began issuing several wide-ranging statements of remorse to Asian countries, for their suffering under Japanese occupation, beginning with an expression of remorse to China made in April 1989, three months after the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito. In October 1992, Akihito visited China, the first visit to China by a Japanese emperor. The visit marked a significant improvement in the China–Japan relationship.

On 23 December 2001, during his annual birthday meeting with reporters, the Emperor, in response to a reporter's question about tensions with South Korea, remarked that he felt a kinship with Koreans and went on to explain that, in the Shoku Nihongi, the mother of Emperor Kammu (736–806) is related to Muryeong of Korea, King of Baekje, a fact that was considered taboo for discussion.

In June 2005, the Emperor and Empress visited the island of Saipan (part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory), the site of a battle in 1944 during World War II. Akihito offered prayers and flowers at several memorials, honouring not only the Japanese who died, but also American servicemen, Korean labourers, and local islanders. It was the first trip by a Japanese monarch to a World War II battlefield abroad. The Saipan journey was received with high praise by the Japanese people, as were the Emperor's visits to war memorials in Tokyo, Hiroshima Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture in 1995.

After succeeding to the throne, Akihito made an effort to bring the Imperial family closer to the Japanese people. He and Michiko made official visits to eighteen countries and to all forty-seven Japanese prefectures. Akihito has never visited Yasukuni Shrine, continuing his predecessor's boycott from 1978, due to its enshrinement of war criminals.

On 6 September 2006, the Emperor celebrated the birth of his first grandson, Prince Hisahito, the third child of the Emperor's younger son. Prince Hisahito was the first male heir born to the Japanese imperial family in 41 years (since his father Prince Akishino) and could avert the Japanese imperial succession crisis, as the only child of the Emperor's elder son, the then Crown Prince Naruhito, is his daughter, Princess Aiko, who is not eligible for the throne under Japan's male-only succession law. The birth of Prince Hisahito meant that proposed changes to the law to allow Aiko to ascend the throne were dropped.

In response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami which also triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident, the Emperor made a historic televised appearance urging his people not to give up hope and to help each other.

Constitutional role

Under the Constitution of Japan, Akihito's role was entirely representative and ceremonial in nature, without even a nominal role in government; indeed, he was not allowed to make political statements. He was limited to acting in matters of state as delineated in the Constitution. Even in those matters, he was bound by the requirements of the Constitution and the binding advice of the Cabinet. For instance, while he formally appointed the Prime Minister, he was required to appoint the person designated by the Diet.

Abdication

On 13 July 2016, national broadcaster NHK reported that the then 82-year-old Emperor intended to abdicate in favour of his eldest son Crown Prince Naruhito within a few years, citing his age. An abdication within the Imperial Family had not occurred since Emperor Kōkaku in 1817. However, senior officials within the Imperial Household Agency denied that there was any official plan for the monarch to abdicate. Abdication by the Emperor required an amendment to the Imperial Household Law, which had no provisions for such a move. On 8 August 2016, the Emperor gave a rare televised address, where he emphasized his advanced age and declining health; this address was interpreted as an implication of his intention to abdicate.

On 19 May 2017, the bill that would allow Akihito to abdicate was issued by the Cabinet of Japan. On 8 June 2017, the National Diet passed it, whereupon it became known as the Emperor Abdication Law. This commenced government preparations to hand the position over to Naruhito. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced in December 2017 that Akihito's abdication would take place at the end of 30 April 2019, and that Naruhito would become the 126th Emperor as of 1 May 2019.

Post-abdication

On 19 March 2020, Akihito and his wife moved out of the Imperial Palace, marking their first public appearance since his abdication. On 31 March, they moved in to the Takanawa Residence.

In December 2021, Akihito celebrated his 88th birthday (米寿, Bēju), making him the longest-living verifiable Japanese emperor in recorded history, ahead of his father. His daily routine is said to include morning and evening walks with his wife, reading and visits to an imperial biology institute.

In August 2023, Akihito and Michiko visited the tennis court where they first met and interacted with members of the organization responsible for its upkeep.

With the death of Princess Yuriko in November 2024, Akihito became the oldest living member of the Japanese imperial family.

Health

Emperor Akihito underwent surgery for prostate cancer on 14 January 2003. Later in 2011 he was admitted to hospital suffering from pneumonia. In February 2012, it was announced that the Emperor would be having a coronary examination; he underwent successful heart bypass surgery on 18 February 2012. In July 2018, he suffered from nausea and dizziness due to insufficient blood flow to his brain. In January 2020, he temporarily lost consciousness and collapsed at his residence, though "no abnormalities" were detected in his brain. He was diagnosed with heart failure in July 2022. In 2025, Akihito was diagnosed with myocardial ischemia and supraventricular tachycardia.

Children

Akihito and Michiko have two sons and a daughter.

Ichthyological research

In extension of his father's interest in marine biology, who published taxonomic works on the Hydrozoa, the Emperor Emeritus is a published ichthyological researcher, and has specialized in studies within the taxonomy of the family Gobiidae. He has written papers for scholarly journals such as Gene, Ichthyological Research, and the Japanese Journal of Ichthyology. He has also written papers about the history of science during the Edo and Meiji eras, which were published in Science and Nature. In 2005, a newly described goby was named Exyrias akihito in his honour, and in 2007 a genus Akihito of gobies native to Vanuatu also received his name. In 2021, the Imperial Household Agency announced Akihito had discovered two new species of goby fish. The discovery was catalogued in an English-language journal published by the Ichthyological Society of Japan.

In 1965, then-Crown Prince Akihito sent 50 Nile tilapia to Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in response to a request for fish that could solve malnutrition issues in the country. The species has since become a major food source in Thailand and a major export.

Member of the Ichthyological Society of Japan
Foreign member of the Linnean Society of London (1980)
Honorary member of the Linnean Society of London (1986)
Research associate of the Australian Museum
Honorary member of the Zoological Society of London (1992)
Honorary member of the Research Institute for Natural Science of Argentina (1997)
Honorary degree of the Uppsala University (2007)

Honours

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^b Zaire is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Other awards

The Royal Society King Charles II Medal
Golden Pheasant Award of the Scout Association of Japan (1971)

Overseas visits

The following tables include official visits jointly made by the Emperor and Empress from 1991 to 2017. Although Empress Michiko has made two official visits on her own, in 2002 (to Switzerland) and 2014 (to Belgium), they did not include the Emperor and are not included in this list.