Emperor Naruhito

(Newser) - Japan celebrated the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday—and around 550,000 people classed as petty criminals had plenty of reason to cheer. The Japanese government announced ahead of Tuesday's ceremony at Tokyo's Imperial Palace that more than half a million pardons had been granted as "...

(Newser) - Emperor Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on Tuesday, proclaiming himself Japan's 126th emperor as the audience shouted "banzai" to wish him a long and prosperous reign. Naruhito pledged at an enthronement ceremony at the Imperial Palace to serve his constitutional duty as a symbol of the state and...

(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...