:Akihito

During his reign, Akihito was never referred to by his own name, but instead as {{nihongo|"His Majesty the Emperor"|天皇陛下|Tennō Heika}} which may be shortened to {{nihongo|"His Majesty"|陛下|Heika}}.{{cite web |title=Members of the Order of the Garter |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Honours/OrderoftheGarter/MembersoftheOrderoftheGarter.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624033814/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Honours/OrderoftheGarter/MembersoftheOrderoftheGarter.aspx |archive-date=24 June 2009 |publisher=The British Monarchy}}{{failed verification|date=May 2019}} The era of Akihito's reign from 1989 to 2019 bore the era name {{Nihongo|Heisei|平成}}, and according to custom he will be posthumously renamed {{Nihongo|Emperor Heisei|平成天皇|Heisei Tennō}} as the 125th emperor of Japan by order of the Cabinet.

Following his abdication, he was accorded the title of {{Nihongo3||上皇|Jōkō}}, officially translated as "Emperor Emeritus".{{Cite web |date=2019-02-25 |title=Japan emperor to be addressed with "emeritus" after abdication |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/02/3416a56b3ee9-emperor-akihito-to-be-addressed-with-emeritus-after-abdication.html |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=Kyodo News+}}{{cite book |last1=Miner |first1=Earl Roy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BSmMbQhafJoC&pg=PA467 |title=The Princeton Companion to Classical Japanese Literature |last2=Morrell |first2=Robert E. |last3=小田桐弘子 |date=21 September 1988 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691008257 |access-date=7 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725013957/https://books.google.com/books?id=BSmMbQhafJoC&pg=PA467 |archive-date=25 July 2020 |url-status=live |via=Google Books}}{{cite web |date=14 April 2017 |title=Government panel outlines proposals on Emperor's abdication, titles |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/14/national/government-panel-outlines-proposals-emperors-abdication-titles/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430171504/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/14/national/government-panel-outlines-proposals-emperors-abdication-titles/ |archive-date=30 April 2019 |access-date=9 June 2017 |website=The Japan Times Online}}{{cite web |date=22 April 2017 |title=Panel stresses clean break once emperor steps down |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Panel-stresses-clean-break-once-emperor-steps-down |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507151240/https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Panel-stresses-clean-break-once-emperor-steps-down |archive-date=7 May 2019 |access-date=7 May 2019 |website=Nikkei Asian Review}}

File:Empress Kojun and Prince Akihito.jpg, 1934]]

{{nihongo|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 Shōwa and Empress Kōjun. Titled {{nihongo|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.{{cite web |url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e03/ed03-01.html |title=Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress |access-date=28 December 2007 |year=2002 |publisher=Imperial Household Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201092521/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e03/ed03-01.html |archive-date=1 December 2007 |url-status=dead }} At the request of his father, he did not receive a commission as an army officer, unlike his predecessors.

File:Investiture of the Crown Prince 1952.jpg

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 {{nihongo|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.

File:Wedding of Crown Prince Akihito stamp of 10Yen.jpg

In August 1957, Akihito met Michiko ShōdaFukada, Takahiro, "[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20091124i1.html Emperor — poise under public spotlight]", The Japan Times, 24 November 2009, p. 3. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/04/26/de-brusselse-romance-van-het-japanse-keizerlijk-paar-met-dank-a/|title=De Brusselse romance van het Japanse keizerlijk paar, met dank aan Koning Boudewijn|date=26 April 2019|website=vrtnws.be|language=nl|access-date=27 April 2019|archive-date=26 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426202858/https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/04/26/de-brusselse-romance-van-het-japanse-keizerlijk-paar-met-dank-a/|url-status=live}}

The Imperial Household Council formally approved the engagement of the Crown Prince to Michiko Shōda on 27 November 1958. The announcement of the then-Crown Prince Akihito's engagement and forthcoming marriage to Michiko Shōda drew opposition from traditionalist groups, because Shōda was from a Catholic family.Herbert P. Bix, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, HarperCollins, 2001, p. 661 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. After the death of Empress Kōjun on 16 June 2000, Reuters reported that she was one of the strongest opponents of her son's marriage, and that in the 1960s, she had driven her daughter-in-law and grandchildren to depression by persistently accusing Shōda of not being suitable for her son.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japans-dowager-empress-dead-at-97/ |title=Japan's Dowager Empress Dead at 97 |work=CBS News |date=16 June 2000 |access-date=21 October 2016 |archive-date=6 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406083805/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japans-dowager-empress-dead-at-97/ |url-status=live }}{{failed verification|Reason=No mention of depression or of A's attitude to her g'children in source|date=January 2019}} At that time, the media presented their encounter as a real "fairy tale",{{cite news | url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,892335-1,00.html | title=The Girl from Outside | magazine=Time | date=23 March 1959 | access-date=22 November 2018 | archive-date=2 May 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502051225/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,892335-1,00.html | url-status=live }} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-41085238/the-wedding-that-broke-centuries-of-tradition |title=The wedding that broke centuries of tradition |work=BBC News |date=1 September 2017 |access-date=1 September 2017 |archive-date=20 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520181323/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-41085238/the-wedding-that-broke-centuries-of-tradition |url-status=live }} 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):

1. {{nihongo|Naruhito, Prince Hiro|浩宮徳仁親王|Hiro-no-miya Naruhito Shinnō|extra=born 23 February 1960 at Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace, Tokyo }}
2. {{nihongo|Fumihito, Prince Aya|礼宮文仁親王|Aya-no-miya Fumihito Shinnō|extra= born 30 November 1965 at Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace, Tokyo}}
3. {{nihongo|Sayako, Princess Nori|紀宮清子内親王|Nori-no-miya Sayako Naishinnō|extra=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 {{nihongo|"Sayako Kuroda"|黒田清子|Kuroda Sayako}}.

File:Akihito and Michiko at Andrews Air Force Base 1987.jpg in their last foreign visit as crown prince and princess, 1987 (Shōwa 62)]]

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.[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/14/archives/those-apprentice-kings-and-queens-who-may-one-day-ascend-a-throne.html?sq=akihito%2520%2520and%2520Windsor&scp=1&st=cse "Those Apprentice Kings and Queens Who May – One Day – Ascend a Throne"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814234830/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/14/archives/those-apprentice-kings-and-queens-who-may-one-day-ascend-a-throne.html?sq=akihito%20%20and%20Windsor&scp=1&st=cse |date=14 August 2018 }}, The New York Times. 14 November 1971.

{{Expand section|date=June 2021|small=no}}

File:Emperor Akihito 199011 1.jpg at his enthronement ceremony, 1990]]

Upon the death of Emperor Shōwa on 7 January 1989, Akihito acceded to the throne,{{cite news|access-date=2 May 2019|title=Hirohito Dies, Ending 62 Years as Japan's Ruler|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-08-mn-196-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=8 January 1989|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502171908/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-08-mn-196-story.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|access-date=2 May 2019|title=MOFA: The 20th Anniversary of His Majesty the Emperor's Accession to the Throne|url=https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/japan/imperial/20anniversary/activity.html|website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|archive-date=28 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328053933/https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/japan/imperial/20anniversary/activity.html|url-status=live}} becoming the 125th Emperor of Japan at the age of 55 and the third oldest to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne in history. 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 Shōwa.

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/epress/epress-01-12.html |title=Press Conference on the Occasion of His Majesty's Birthday |publisher=Imperial Household Agency |access-date=7 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525113304/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/epress/epress-01-12.html |archive-date=25 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/interrogation/2016/08/will_the_japanese_akihito_be_allowed_to_abdicate.html |title=What Does the Japanese Emperor Do? And will Japan let him stop doing it? |first=Isaac |last=Chotiner |publisher=Slate |date=8 August 2016 |access-date=8 August 2016 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003193356/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/interrogation/2016/08/will_the_japanese_akihito_be_allowed_to_abdicate.html |url-status=live }}

In June 2005, the Emperor and Empress visited the island of Saipan (part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory),{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/international/asia/28saipan.html?_r=0|title=Visiting Saipan, Japan's Emperor Honors Dead|first=James|last=Brooke|work=The New York Times|date=28 June 2005|access-date=9 August 2013|archive-date=6 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406083803/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/international/asia/28saipan.html?_r=0|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/why-yasukuni-shrine-is-controversial-symbol-japans-war-legacy-2021-08-13/|title=Explainer: Why Yasukuni shrine is a controversial symbol of Japan's war legacy|newspaper=Reuters |date=14 August 2021|via=www.reuters.com}}

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.{{cite news|last1=Yoshida|first1=Reiji|title=Life in the cloudy Imperial fishbowl|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/03/27/reference/life-in-the-cloudy-imperial-fishbowl/|access-date=28 May 2017|work=Japan Times|date=27 March 2007|archive-date=3 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903143401/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/03/27/reference/life-in-the-cloudy-imperial-fishbowl/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url= https://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2007-01-03-japan-female-monarch_x.htm |title=Report: Japan to drop plan to allow female monarch |work=USA Today |date=January 3, 2007 |publisher=Gannett |location=McLean, VA |issn=0734-7456 |agency=The Associated Press |access-date=October 20, 2011}}

In response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami which also triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident, the Emperor made {{Ill|A Message from His Majesty The Emperor (March 16, 2011)|lt=a historic televised appearance|ja|東北地方太平洋沖地震に関する天皇陛下のおことば|WD=}} urging his people not to give up hope and to help each other.{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/16/japan.disaster/index.html?hpt=T1#|title=Six days later, Japanese still confronting magnitude of quake crisis|publisher=CNN|date=29 April 2011|access-date=16 March 2011|archive-date=28 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428095412/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/16/japan.disaster/index.html?hpt=T1|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-okotoba/01/address/tohokujishin-h230316-mov.html|title=Message from His Majesty The Emperor|date=16 March 2011|publisher=The Imperial Household Agency|access-date=9 August 2016|archive-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521040846/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-okotoba/01/address/tohokujishin-h230316-mov.html|url-status=live}}

File:Emperor Akihito 200302.jpgUnder 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.{{Cite news |date=2019-05-01 |title=Japan abdication and accession: Your questions answered |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48111654 |access-date=2024-08-09 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last=Rich |first=Motoko |date=2017-01-23 |title=Japanese Panel Signals Support for One-Time Law to Let Emperor Abdicate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/world/asia/japan-emperor-akihito-abdication.html |access-date=2024-08-09 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

{{Main|Japanese imperial succession debate|2019 Japanese imperial transition}}

File:The General Public to the Palace for the New Year Greeting 2019 (48357123117).jpg, giving his final New Year's address as Emperor to the Japanese people, 2019]]

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.{{cite news|url=http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160713/k10010594271000.html |title=天皇陛下 「生前退位」の意向示される ("His Majesty The Emperor Indicates His Intention to 'Abdicate'") |publisher=NHK |language=ja |date=13 July 2016 |access-date=13 July 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713100512/http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160713/k10010594271000.html |archive-date=13 July 2016 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36784045|title=Japanese Emperor Akihito 'wishes to abdicate'|work=BBC News|date=13 July 2016|access-date=17 July 2016|archive-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410170615/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36784045|url-status=live}} On 8 August 2016, the Emperor gave a rare televised address, where he emphasized his advanced age and declining health;{{cite web|url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/page/okotoba/detailEn/12#41|title=Message from His Majesty The Emperor|date=8 August 2016|publisher=The Imperial Household Agency|access-date=8 August 2016|archive-date=26 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526030426/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/page/okotoba/detailEn/12#41|url-status=live}} this address was interpreted as an implication of his intention to abdicate.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37007106|title=Japan's Emperor Akihito hints at wish to abdicate|work=BBC News|date=8 August 2016|access-date=8 August 2016|archive-date=28 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428131517/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37007106|url-status=live}}

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.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40168983 |title=Japan passes landmark bill for Emperor Akihito to abdicate |work=BBC News |date=8 June 2017 |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-date=28 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428095632/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40168983 |url-status=live }} 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.

File:New Zealand national rugby 20191101c3.jpg) of the 2019 Rugby World Cup held in Ajinomoto Stadium, November 2019]]

On 19 March 2020, Akihito and his wife moved out of the Imperial Palace, marking their first public appearance since his abdication.{{cite web |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/03/01c71493bb5f-former-emperor-empress-move-out-of-palace-after-26-yrs.html |title=Japan's former emperor, empress move out of palace after 26 yrs |access-date=19 March 2020 |archive-date=19 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319225949/https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/03/01c71493bb5f-former-emperor-empress-move-out-of-palace-after-26-yrs.html |url-status=live }} On 31 March, they moved in to the Takanawa Residence.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/03/19/national/japan-former-emperor-empress-exit-palace/|title=Japan's former emperor and empress move out of palace after 26 years|work=The Japan Times|date=19 March 2020|accessdate=10 June 2021}}

In December 2021, Akihito celebrated {{nihongo|his 88th birthday|米寿|Bēju}}, making him the longest-living verifiable Japanese emperor in recorded history, ahead of his father.{{cite news |last=Sugiura |first=Tatsuro |date=23 December 2021 |title=Akihito turns 88, longest-living among Japanese emperors |url=https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/14508818 |work=The Asahi Shimbun |access-date=29 May 2022}} His daily routine is said to include morning and evening walks with his wife, reading and visits to an imperial biology institute.{{cite news |title=Japan's Emperor Emeritus Akihito turns 89 in his 'peaceful' retirement |url=https://www.laprensalatina.com/japans-emperor-emeritus-akihito-turns-89-in-his-peaceful-retirement/ |access-date=30 August 2023 |work=La Prensa Latina Media |date=22 December 2022 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004121117/https://www.laprensalatina.com/japans-emperor-emeritus-akihito-turns-89-in-his-peaceful-retirement/ |url-status=dead }}

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.{{cite news |date=27 August 2023 |title=Japan's Ex-Emperor, Ex-Empress Visit Tennis Court of 1st Encounter |language=en |work=nippon.com |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2023082600349/ |url-status=dead |access-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829060759/https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2023082600349/ |archive-date=29 August 2023}}

With the death of Princess Yuriko in November 2024, Akihito became the oldest living member of the Japanese imperial family.{{cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/12/23/japan/emperor-emeritus-turns-91/|title=Emperor Emeritus Akihito turns 91|publisher=The Japan Times|date=23 December 2024|accessdate=23 December 2024}}

Emperor Akihito underwent surgery for prostate cancer on 14 January 2003.{{cite news|title=Akihito has successful cancer operation|date=18 January 2003|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2671271.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=28 December 2007|archive-date=12 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112043232/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2671271.stm|url-status=live}} Later in 2011 he was admitted to hospital suffering from pneumonia.{{cite news|title=Japan's Emperor Akihito leaves Tokyo hospital|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15868000|access-date=24 January 2012|newspaper=BBC News|date=24 November 2011|archive-date=28 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428095750/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15868000|url-status=live}} In February 2012, it was announced that the Emperor would be having a coronary examination;{{cite news|url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120201p2g00m0dm109000c.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714073820/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120201p2g00m0dm109000c.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 July 2012|title=Emperor Akihito to have coronary examination|newspaper=Mainichi Daily News|date=1 February 2012}} he underwent successful heart bypass surgery on 18 February 2012.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/18/world/asia/japan-Emperor-surgery/index.html?hpt=hp_t3|work=CNN|title=Report: Japan's Emperor undergoes successful cardiac bypass|date=18 February 2012|access-date=28 May 2015|archive-date=21 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821000045/http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/18/world/asia/japan-Emperor-surgery/index.html?hpt=hp_t3|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-emperor-akihito/japans-former-emperor-akihito-recovers-from-brief-loss-of-consciousness-idUSKBN1ZT0BK|title=Japan's former emperor Akihito recovers from brief loss of consciousness|work=Reuters|date=29 January 2020|accessdate=10 June 2021}} He was diagnosed with heart failure in July 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/kunaicho/koho/kohyo/kohyo-r04-0726.html|title=上皇上皇后両陛下の定例ご検査の結果について|publisher=Kunaicho|date=2022-07-26|accessdate=2023-01-03}} In 2025, Akihito was diagnosed with myocardial ischemia.{{cite web|url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2025/05/22f7d083796b-former-emperor-discharged-from-hospital-after-heart-checkup.html |title=Former emperor discharged from hospital after heart checkup |work=Kyodo News |date=10 May 2025 |accessdate=10 May 2025}}

File:Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko with the Imperial Family (November 2013).jpg

Akihito and Michiko have two sons and a daughter.

{{Scholia|author}}

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.[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1857043.ece Hamilton, Alan. "Palace small talk problem solved: royal guest is a goby fish fanatic"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917084413/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1857043.ece |date=17 September 2011 }}, The Times (London). 30 May 2007 He has written papers for scholarly journals such as Gene, Ichthyological Research, and the Japanese Journal of Ichthyology.{{cite web|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Akihito%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26475939|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510131052/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed|url-status=dead|title=Akihito[Author] - Search Results - PubMed|archivedate=10 May 2012|website=PubMed}}{{Cite book|last=Mohri|first=Hideo|url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-13-6756-4|title=Imperial Biologists: The Imperial Family of Japan and their Contributions to Biological Research|publisher=Springer|year=2019|isbn=978-981-13-6756-4|pages=77–148|chapter=Emperor Akihito [1933–] and Prince Hitachi [1935–]—The Second Generation Biologists|series=Springer Biographies|doi=10.1007/978-981-13-6756-4_2|s2cid=189373893|oclc=1091569193|access-date=14 August 2020|archive-date=20 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920115611/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-13-6756-4|url-status=live}}

He has also written papers about the history of science during the Edo and Meiji eras, which were published in Science{{cite journal|author=Akihito|title=Early cultivators of science in Japan |journal=Science|volume=258|issue=5082|pages=578–80|date=October 1992|pmid=1411568 |doi=10.1126/science.1411568|bibcode=1992Sci...258..578A }} and Nature.{{cite journal|author=His Majesty The Emperor of Japan|title=Linnaeus and taxonomy in Japan|journal=Nature|volume=448|issue=7150|pages=139–140|date=July 2007 |pmid=17632886|doi=10.1038/448139a|bibcode=2007Natur.448..139H|s2cid=4392680|doi-access=free}} 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.{{cite news |title=Emperor emeritus Akihito discovers 2 new types of goby fish {{!}} The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14381111 |access-date=31 October 2021 |work=The Asahi Shimbun |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Ikeda |first1=Yuji |title=Descriptions of two new species of Callogobius (Gobiidae) found in Japan |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10228-021-00817-2 |journal=Ichthyological Research |access-date=31 October 2021 |language=en |doi=10.1007/s10228-021-00817-2 |date=20 May 2021|volume=69 |pages=97–110 |s2cid=236399144 }}

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.{{cite news |last=Kamjan |first=Chananthorn |date=5 November 2016 |title=A tale of fish and monarchs |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1127665/a-tale-of-fish-and-monarchs |work=Bangkok Post |accessdate=17 February 2023}}

• {{flagicon|JPN}} Member of the Ichthyological Society of Japan
• {{flagicon|GBR}} Foreign member of the Linnean Society of London (1980)
• {{flagicon|GBR}} Honorary member of the Linnean Society of London (1986)
• {{flagicon|AUS}} Research associate of the Australian Museum
• {{flagicon|GBR}} Honorary member of the Zoological Society of London (1992)
• {{flagicon|ARG}} Honorary member of the Research Institute for Natural Science of Argentina (1997)
• {{flagicon|SWE}} Honorary degree of the Uppsala University (2007)

{{See also|List of honours of the Japanese imperial family by country}}

{{BLP sources section|date=January 2019}}

:^a FR Yugoslavia split into Serbia and Montenegro. As of 2006 this order is аbolished.

:^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){{cite web |date=2014-05-23|script-title=ja:䝪䞊䜲䝇䜹䜴䝖日本連盟 きじ章受章者 |trans-title=Recipient of the Golden Pheasant Award of the Scout Association of Japan |url=http://reinanzaka-sc.o.oo7.jp/kiroku/documents/20140523-3-kiji-list.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811030258/http://reinanzaka-sc.o.oo7.jp/kiroku/documents/20140523-3-kiji-list.pdf |archive-date=2020-08-11 |website=Reinanzaka Scout Club| language=ja}}

The following tables include official visits jointly made by the Emperor and Empress from 1991 to 2017.{{cite web |title=List of Overseas visits by the Emperor and Empress (1989–1998) |url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/shinzen/gaikoku/gaikoku-1989-1998.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417185246/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/shinzen/gaikoku/gaikoku-1989-1998.html |archive-date=17 April 2019 |access-date=23 June 2018 |publisher=The Imperial Household Agency}}{{cite web |title=List of Overseas visits by the Emperor and Empress (1999–2008) |url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/shinzen/gaikoku/gaikoku-1999-2008.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920150845/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/shinzen/gaikoku/gaikoku-1999-2008.html |archive-date=20 September 2018 |access-date=23 June 2018 |publisher=The Imperial Household Agency}}{{cite web |title=List of Overseas visits by the Emperor and Empress (2009 or later) |url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/shinzen/gaikoku/gaikoku-2009-later.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428095633/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/shinzen/gaikoku/gaikoku-2009-later.html |archive-date=28 April 2019 |access-date=23 June 2018 |publisher=The Imperial Household Agency}} 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.

File:Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko 20090715 1.jpg in Honolulu, Hawaii, 2009]]

File:Emperor_Akihito_and_Empress_Michiko's_arrival_in_Manila_-_2016_(06).jpg of the Philippines, 2016]]

{{ahnentafel

|collapsed=yes |align=center

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|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

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|1= 1. Akihito, 125th Emperor of Japan

|2= 2. Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa

|3= 3. Princess Nagako of Kuni

|4= 4. Yoshihito, Emperor Taishō{{cite book|last=Bix|first=Herbert P.|title=Hirohito and the making of modern Japan|year=2001|publisher=Perennial|location=New York|isbn=978-0060931308|pages=[https://archive.org/details/hirohitomakingof00herb/page/22 22–23]|edition=1st Perennial|type=Book|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hirohitomakingof00herb/page/22}}

|5= 5. Lady Sadako Kujō

|6= 6. Kuniyoshi, 2nd Imperial Prince Kuni{{cite web|url=https://reichsarchiv.jp/%e5%ae%b6%e7%b3%bb%e3%83%aa%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88/%e4%b9%85%e9%82%87%e5%ae%ae%e5%ae%b6#kuji02|title=Genealogy|website=Reichsarchiv|date=4 May 2010 |access-date=25 October 2017|language=ja|archive-date=26 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026112016/https://reichsarchiv.jp/%e5%ae%b6%e7%b3%bb%e3%83%aa%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88/%e4%b9%85%e9%82%87%e5%ae%ae%e5%ae%b6#kuji02|url-status=live}}

|7= 7. Princess Chikako Shimazu

|8= 8. Mutsuhito, Emperor MeijiKeene, Donald. Emperor of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852–1912. Columbia University Press (2005). {{ISBN|0-231-12341-8}}. pp. 320–321.

|9= 9. Lady Naruko Yanagihara

|10= 10. Prince Kujō Michitaka of the Fujiwara Clan{{cite web |url=http://oldphoto.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/en/target.php?id=4861 |title=The Accession of Empress Taisho (1) |website=Metadata database of Japanese old photographs in Bakumatsu-Meiji Period |publisher=Nagasaki University |access-date=4 January 2019 |archive-date=24 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324162257/http://oldphoto.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/en/target.php?id=4861 |url-status=live }}

|11= 11. Lady Ikuko Noma

|12= 12. Asahiko, 1st Imperial Prince Kuni

|13= 13. Lady Makiko Izumi

|14= 14. Prince Shimazu Tadayoshi

|15= 15. Lady Sumako Yamazaki

}}

{{chart top|text-align=left|Patrilineal descent{{cite web|url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/genealogy/img/keizu-e.pdf |title=Genealogy of the Emperors of Japan |publisher=Imperial Household Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322210732/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/genealogy/img/keizu-e.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2011 |access-date=30 March 2011 |url-status=dead }}}}

Akihito's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son.

Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations, which means that Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan.

;Imperial House of Japan

1. Descent prior to Keitai is unclear to modern historians, but traditionally traced back patrilineally to Emperor Jimmu
2. Emperor Keitai, ca. 450–534
3. Emperor Kinmei, 509–571
4. Emperor Bidatsu, 538–585
5. Prince Oshisaka, ca. 556–???
6. Emperor Jomei, 593–641
7. Emperor Tenji, 626–671
8. Prince Shiki, ???–716
9. Emperor Kōnin, 709–786
10. Emperor Kanmu, 737–806
11. Emperor Saga, 786–842
12. Emperor Ninmyō, 810–850
13. Emperor Kōkō, 830–867
14. Emperor Uda, 867–931
15. Emperor Daigo, 885–930
16. Emperor Murakami, 926–967
17. Emperor En'yū, 959–991
18. Emperor Ichijō, 980–1011
19. Emperor Go-Suzaku, 1009–1045
20. Emperor Go-Sanjō, 1034–1073
21. Emperor Shirakawa, 1053–1129
22. Emperor Horikawa, 1079–1107
23. Emperor Toba, 1103–1156
24. Emperor Go-Shirakawa, 1127–1192
25. Emperor Takakura, 1161–1181
26. Emperor Go-Toba, 1180–1239
27. Emperor Tsuchimikado, 1196–1231
28. Emperor Go-Saga, 1220–1272
29. Emperor Go-Fukakusa, 1243–1304
30. Emperor Fushimi, 1265–1317
31. Emperor Go-Fushimi, 1288–1336
32. Emperor Kōgon, 1313–1364
33. Emperor Sukō, 1334–1398
34. Prince Yoshihito Fushimi, 1351–1416
35. Prince Sadafusa Fushimi, 1372–1456
36. Emperor Go-Hanazono, 1419–1471
37. Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado, 1442–1500
38. Emperor Go-Kashiwabara, 1464–1526
39. Emperor Go-Nara, 1495–1557
40. Emperor Ōgimachi, 1517–1593
41. Prince Masahito, 1552–1586
42. Emperor Go-Yōzei, 1572–1617
43. Emperor Go-Mizunoo, 1596–1680
44. Emperor Reigen, 1654–1732
45. Emperor Higashiyama, 1675–1710
46. Prince Naohito Kanin, 1704–1753
47. Prince Sukehito Kanin, 1733–1794
48. Emperor Kōkaku, 1771–1840
49. Emperor Ninkō, 1800–1846
50. Emperor Kōmei, 1831–1867
51. Emperor Meiji, 1852–1912
52. Emperor Taishō, 1879–1926
53. Emperor Shōwa, 1901–1989
54. Emperor Akihito, b. 1933

{{chart bottom}}

{{notelist}}

• The Emperor's Birthday
• Imperial Household Agency
• Imperial House of Japan
• Japanese era name
• List of Emperors of Japan

{{reflist}}

{{wikiquote}}

{{Commons category|Emperor Akihito}}

{{Wikinews|Japanese Emperor makes live television appearance after earthquake}}

• [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/joko/activity-en.html Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita] at the Imperial Household Agency website
• [https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/emperorakihitodisasterspeech.htm Complete transcript (U.S. English and Japanese) and audio mp3 and video of 'Do Not Lose Hope' Address to the Nation] at AmericanRhetoric.com

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{{s-hou|Imperial House of Japan|23 December|1933}}

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{{s-bef|before=Shōwa}}

{{s-ttl|title=Crown Prince of Japan|years=1952–1989}}

{{s-aft|after=Naruhito}}

{{s-reg}}

{{s-bef|before=Shōwa}}

{{s-ttl|title=Emperor of Japan|years=7 January 1989 – 30 April 2019}}

{{s-aft|after=Naruhito}}

{{s-end}}

{{Monarchs of Japan|state=collapsed}}

{{Japanese princes}}

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