Emperor Akihito

19 Stories

'Beautiful Harmony' Era Dawns in Japan

In silent ceremony, Naruhito receives imperial sword

(Newser) - Following in the footstops of his father Akihito in 1989 and grandfather Hirohito in 1926, Naruhito ascended to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne on Wednesday. The 59-year-old—who officially became Emperor Naruhito at midnight Tuesday after his father's abdication —took possession of the imperial sword and jewel in a...

'Today, I Am Concluding My Duties as the Emperor'

Akihito announces abdication in palace ceremony

(Newser) - Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era. "Today, I am concluding my duties as the emperor," Akihito said as he stood in front...

Married 26 Years, She Can't Watch Him Become Emperor

Unless it's on TV: Japanese succession rules bar Masako from attending Naruhito's ascension

(Newser) - On Wednesday, Crown Prince Naruhito will become an emperor and usher in the "Reiwa" era, and the world will be watching—but one important person won't be seeing it up close. Per the New York Times , Naruhito's wife of 26 years, Masako, isn't allowed to be...

Japan Is Getting a Rare 10-Day Vacation. Not Everyone's Happy

Extended break starts Saturday to celebrate ascension of Naruhito to emperor

(Newser) - The "Reiwa" era is nearly upon Japan, and big plans are afoot to commemorate it. As Crown Prince Naruhito prepares to ascend to emperor status on May 1, taking the throne from his father, Akihito, who's abdicating, what Reuters calls an "unprecedented" 10-day holiday is on the...

The Name of Japan's New Era Is Sharply Different
Japan Announces
the Name of Its
New Era
the rundown
Apr 1, 2019 9:16 AM CDT

Japan Announces the Name of Its New Era

It's 'Reiwa'

(Newser) - There have been four eras in Japan's modern history—and on Monday, the nation learned what its fifth would be called. The country's chief Cabinet secretary announced it by raising a board displaying two characters: Rei and Wa, for the "Reiwa" era. The BBC explains it's...

Japanese Princess 'Insecure' About Becoming Empress

Masako opens up about stress-related condition

(Newser) - Japan's Crown Princess Masako has suffered from a stress-related disorder for years, and she admits she's feeling a little nervous about starting her new job as empress in the world's oldest continuous monarchy. In a statement released to mark her 55th birthday, the princess said she is...

Japanese Princess Delays Wedding, Cites 'Immaturity'

Mako's much anticipated wedding to a commoner gets pushed back to at least 2020

(Newser) - Japan's Princess Mako will remain a princess a little longer: The emperor's granddaughter, who announced last year that she planned to marry a commoner, is delaying that union, reports Reuters . Unlike certain other royals planning to marry commoners , Mako must rescind her royal status when she marries Kei...

Japan Emperor Will Be First to Abdicate in 200 Years

Emperor Akihito will step down on April 30, 2019

(Newser) - Japan's much admired Emperor Akihito is set to abdicate on April 30, 2019, at age 85 in the first such departure from the Chrysanthemum Throne in about 200 years, the government said Friday. Akihito's elder son Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend the throne a day later, beginning a...

Japan Passes Law to Let Emperor Quit

Akihito will be first to abdicate in 200 years

(Newser) - Japan's Emperor Akihito is 83 years old and in declining health—and he is finally being allowed to step down. Japan's parliament passed a law Friday that will allow Akihito, who became emperor when father Hirohito died in 1989, to abdicate, reports Reuters . Akihito has had heart surgery...

Princess Mako of Japan to Wed ... and Become a Commoner

The 25-year-old will marry former classmate Kei Komuro

(Newser) - Princess Mako, the granddaughter of Japan's emperor, is getting married to an ocean lover who can ski, play the violin, and cook. The news comes via public broadcaster NHK TV and has been confirmed by the Imperial Household Agency, reports the Japan Times . Kei Komuro, the man who won...

8 'Least Powerful' People in the World

A certain former pope makes the list

(Newser) - Lists of the "most powerful" people are easy to find, but 24/7 Wall St takes the opposite tack with this one. The website set out to find the "least powerful" people in the world, defined as those who once held mighty clout but then suffered a "precipitous...

Japan's Emperor Hints of Abdication, but It's Complicated

Akihito gives his 2nd-ever television address

(Newser) - Japanese Emperor Akihito first spoke to his people via video message after the country had been ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, reports Reuters . The second time was Monday, and his words have been just as headline grabbing. In what the Guardian calls "a masterclass in...

Somber Japan Marks Year Since Quake

Country pauses to remember its dead

(Newser) - At 2:46pm local time today, people all across Japan stood in silence to remember the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami exactly one year ago that killed more than 19,000 people, destroyed 370,000 homes, and created the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, reports the AP...

Japan's Emperor to Have Heart Bypass

Akihito has suffered from variety of health problems in recent years

(Newser) - Japanese Emperor Akihito will have heart bypass surgery later this month, his palace said today after the 78-year-old monarch was hospitalized for tests over the weekend. Akihito returned to the palace today after the tests and has scheduled the surgery for Feb. 18, the Imperial Household Agency said.

Japan's Emperor: Don't Give Up

'I'm deeply concerned about nuclear situation,' says Akihito

(Newser) - In a sign of the increasingly critical nature of Japan's nuclear plant tragedy, the nation's emperor appeared on TV to plead with his countrymen: Don't give up. "I am deeply concerned about the nuclear situation because it is unpredictable," said Emperor Akihito in a rare address to the...

This Photo May Symbolize Obama's Presidency
This Photo May Symbolize Obama's Presidency
PEGGY NOONAN
Nov 27, 2009 7:50 AM CST

This Photo May Symbolize Obama's Presidency

It could become as iconic as Gerald Ford's stumble

(Newser) - A bow like the one President Obama gave the Japanese emperor isn't that big a deal, but neither was Gerald Ford's stumble down airplane steps, writes Peggy Noonan. Ford's stumble came to symbolize a presidency seen as bumbling, however. The photos of Obama bowing—paired with headlines labeling his Asian...

This Year's Top Liberal Turkeys
 This Year's Top Liberal Turkeys 
MALKIN GETS FESTIVE
Nov 25, 2009 8:01 PM CST

This Year's Top Liberal Turkeys

Stimulus, President O-bow-ma get top billing

(Newser) - As we await tomorrow’s feast, conservative pundit Michelle Malkin gives us something to gnaw on, running down the year’s top turkeys:
  • The stimulus: The “Generational Theft Act” isn’t even a turkey, but a “Turbaconducken—the heart attack-inducing dish of roasted chicken stuffed inside a duck
...

Obama Bow: Right Idea, Wrong Bow
Obama Bow: Right Idea, Wrong Bow
etiquette lesson
Nov 16, 2009 11:52 AM CST

Obama Bow: Right Idea, Wrong Bow

Even Nixon bowed to the Japanese emperor —but he did it better

(Newser) - A friend of ABC’s Jake Tapper would like to clear up some misconceptions about President Obama’s bow to the Japanese emperor: First, “the right is wrong about Obama’s bow.” It’s not an “unprecedented” display of subservience from an American president—Richard Nixon bowed...

Obama Bows to Emperor
 Obama Bows to Emperor 
here we go again?
Nov 14, 2009 10:03 AM CST

Obama Bows to Emperor

Critics on the right already weighing in

(Newser) - Prepare for another bowing controversy. A photo of President Obama bowing to Japanese Emperor Akihito has surfaced, and it's likely to set off critics on the right—as happened when Obama maybe sorta bowed to the king of Saudi Arabia in April. This time, there's no question about it: It's...

19 Stories