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Here’s a look at the life of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, the 126th Emperor to ascend to Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne.
Birth date: February 23, 1960
Birth place: Tokyo, Japan
Previous name: Hironomiya Naruhito
Father: Emperor Emeritus Akihito
Mother: Empress Emerita Michiko
Marriage: Masako Owada (June 9, 1993-present)
Children: Princess Aiko
Education: Gakushuin University, B.A., 1982; Attended Merton College at the University of Oxford, 1983-1985; Attended Gakushuin University for doctoral studies
His grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, was Japan’s longest-reigning monarch, and ruled during World War II. During Hirohito’s reign, Japanese forces occupied Manchuria, Korea and large parts of southeast Asia.
Prior to Akihito, the last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku in 1817 in the later part of the Edo Period, and the royal male line is unbroken, records show, for at least 14 centuries.
Is an advocate for clean water and water conservation.
February 23, 1991 – Is formally invested as the crown prince after his grandfather’s death in January 1989.
1992 – Receives a commission for a visiting research fellow position at the Gakushuin University Museum of History.
2007 – Appointed as Honorary President of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation.
February 2012 – When Akihito undergoes heart bypass surgery, Naruhito temporarily fills in for the emperor during official functions.
February 23, 2015 – During a press conference marking his 55th birthday, Naruhito comments on Japan’s controversial role in World War II: “I myself did not experience the war…but I think that it is important today, when memories of the war are fading, to look back humbly on the past and correctly pass on the tragic experiences and history Japan pursued from the generation which experienced the war to those without direct knowledge.”
June 9, 2017 – Japan’s parliament passes a historic bill that will allow Akihito to become the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in two centuries.
December 1, 2017 – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces that Emperor Akihito will stand down on April 30, 2019.
April 1, 2019 – The Japanese government announces that Naruhito’s reign will be known as the “Reiwa” era. The era, whose name includes the character for “harmony,” will formally begin once the new Emperor is crowned on May 1.
April 19, 2019 – The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to Japan in late May, becoming Naruhito’s first official foreign guests.
May 1, 2019 – Formally ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Naruhito uses his first remarks following the ceremony to acknowledge the assumption of emperor as an “important responsibility,” and pays tribute to his father’s legacy.
October 22, 2019 – Naruhito officially proclaims his enthronement, in a ritual-bound, centuries-old ceremony attended by more than a hundred dignitaries from around the world.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Japan Pool via AP
Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito, right, attends his coronation ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday, May 1. Standing at left is his brother, Crown Prince Akishino.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Japan Pool via AP
Naruhito is followed by his wife, Masako, as he walks to make his first address as Emperor.
Photos: Japan’s Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
Pool/Kyodo News via Getty Images
Naruhito delivers his first speech after his ascension to the throne. In his remarks, he acknowledged the assumption of his role as an “important responsibility,” and he paid tribute to his father’s legacy.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Pool/Kyodo via AP
Naruhito, standing on a dais, inherits the imperial regalia.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
People take pictures as the royal family leaves the Imperial Palace.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
People at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine receive sake as they celebrate the change of an era.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Takuya Inaba/Kyodo via AP
Naruhito’s motorcade leaves the Imperial Palace after his imperial rituals.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie, bow as they arrive for Naruhito’s ascension ceremony.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Eugene Hoshiko/AP
People bow toward the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as they wait for the new emperor to ascend to the throne.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Kyodo News via Getty Images
Sumo wrestlers create the characters for “Reiwa,” Japan’s new imperial era, at a Tokyo sports arena.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Takuya Inaba/Kyodo News via AP
Naruhito’s motorcade drives past crowds of well-wishers.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images
Naruhito’s wife, Masako, arrives at the Imperial Palace.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Kyodo News via Getty Images
Stamps are postmarked on the first day of the Reiwa era.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
Shinto priests recite religious passages before entering the Meiji Shrine’s main building for a ceremony on Wednesday. The ceremony reported the new emperor’s enthronement to the royal family’s ancestors.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images
People gather to see the new Emperor leaving the Imperial Palace.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images
A girl holds calligraphy reading “Reiwa,” the name of the new imperial era.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images
People gather to see the new Emperor and take photos.
Photos: In pictures: Japan’s Naruhito ascends to the throne
The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images
Naruhito waves to well-wishers.
