line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in

1989. In Japan, the emperor is never referred to

by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which

may be shortened to "His Imperial Majesty". In writing, the emperor is also referred to

formally as "The Reigning Emperor". The Era of Akihito's reign bears the name "Heisei",

and according to custom he will be renamed "Emperor Heisei" by order of the cabinet after

his death. At the same time, the name of the next era under his successor will also be

established.

Biography

Akihito is the eldest son and the fifth child of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun. Titled

Prince Tsugu as a child, he was raised and educated by his private tutors and then attended

the elementary and secondary departments of the Peers' School from 1940 to 1952. Unlike

his predecessors in the Imperial Family, he did not receive a commission as an Army officer,

at the request of his father, Hirohito. During the American firebombing raids on Tokyo

in March 1945, he and his younger brother, Prince Masahito, were evacuated from the city.

During the American occupation of Japan following World War II, Prince Akihito was tutored in

the English language and Western manners by Elizabeth Gray Vining. He briefly studied

at the Department of Political Science at Gakushuin University in Tokyo, though he never

received a degree. Although he was Heir-Apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne from the moment

of his birth, his formal Investiture as Crown Prince was held at the Tokyo Imperial Palace

on 10 November 1952. In June 1953, Crown Prince Akihito represented Japan at the Coronation

of Queen Elizabeth II in London.

Then-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; and he expressed the hope that he would like to help in bringing the Imperial

family closer to the people of Japan. After the death of Emperor Hirohito on 7 January

1989, the crown prince received the succession. Emperor Akihito formally acceded to the throne

on 12 November 1990. In 1998, during a state visit to the United Kingdom, he was invested

with The Most Noble Order of the Garter. On 23 December 2001, during his annual birthday

meeting with reporters, the Emperor, in response to a reporter's question about tensions with

Korea, remarked that he felt a kinship with Koreans and went on to explain that in the

Shoku Nihongi the mother of Emperor Kammu is related to Muryeong of Korea, King of Baekje.

Emperor Akihito underwent surgery for prostate cancer in January 14, 2003. Since succeeding

to the throne, Emperor Akihito has made an effort to bring the Imperial Family closer

to the Japanese people. The Emperor and Empress of Japan have made official visits to eighteen

countries, as well as all forty-seven Prefectures of Japan.

In response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima I nuclear crisis,

the Emperor made a historic televised appearance urging his people not to give up hope and

to help each other. The Emperor and the Empress also made a visit on Wednesday, 30 March 2011

to a temporary shelter housing refugees of the disaster, in order to inspire hope in

the people. This kind of event is also extremely rare, though in line with the Emperor's attempts

to bring the Imperial Family closer to the people. 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. Marriage and children

On 10 April 1959, he married Michiko Shōda, the eldest daughter of Hidesaburo Shōda,

the president and later honorary chairman of Nisshin Flour Milling Company. The new

Crown Princess was the first commoner to marry into the Imperial Family. The Emperor and

Empress have three children: Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan

Fumihito, Prince Akishino Sayako, Princess Nori

Official functions

Despite being strictly constrained by his constitutional position, he also issued 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 Shōwa.

In June 2005, the Emperor visited the US territory of Saipan, the site of a battle in World War

II from 15 June to 9 July 1944. Accompanied by Empress Michiko, he offered prayers and

flowers at several memorials, honoring not only the Japanese who died, but also American

soldiers, Korean laborers, 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,

Nagasaki, and Okinawa in 1995. Succession

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 is the first male heir born

to the Japanese imperial family in 41 years and could avert a possible succession crisis

as the Emperor's elder son, the Crown Prince, has only one daughter, Princess Aiko. Under

Japan's current male-only succession law, Princess Aiko is not eligible for the throne.

The birth of Prince Hisahito could mean that proposed changes to the law to allow Aiko

to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne will not go through after being temporarily shelved

following the announcement of Princess Kiko's third pregnancy in February 2006.

Ichthyological research In extension of his father's interest in marine

biology, the Emperor is a published ichthyological researcher, and has specialized studies within

the taxonomy of the family Gobiidae. He has written papers for scholarly journals, namely

Gene 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.

Member of the Ichthyological Society of Japan Foreign member of the Linnean Society of London

Honorary member of the Linnean Society of London

Research associate of the Australian Museum Honorary member of the Zoological Society

of London Honorary member of the Research Institute

for Natural Science of Argentina Honorary degree of the Uppsala University

Titles and styles 23 December 1933 – 10 November 1952: His

Imperial Highness The Prince Tsugu 10 November 1952 – 7 January 1989: His Imperial

Highness The Crown Prince of Japan 7 January 1989 – present: His Imperial Majesty

The Emperor of Japan Honours

National honours Collar and Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order

of the Chrysanthemum Grand Cordon of The Order of the Rising Sun

with the Paulownia Blossoms Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure

Order of Culture The Golden Medal of Merit of the Japanese

Red Cross The Golden Medal of Honorary Member of the

Japanese Red Cross

Foreign honours

Other awards The Royal Society King Charles II Medal

Issue

Ancestors Ancestry in Genealogics.org

Patrilineal descent

See also The Emperor's Birthday

Imperial Household Agency Imperial House of Japan

Japanese era name List of Emperors of Japan

List of longest reigning current monarchs References

External links Kunaicho | Their Majesties the Emperor and

Empress Press Conference on the occasion of His Majesty's

Birthday Complete transcript and audio mp3 and video

of 'Do Not Lose Hope' Address to the Nation at AmericanRhetoric.com