Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko marked their 60th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, with various celebratory events held during the day ahead of the Emperor's abdication at the end of the month.
With their elder son Crown Prince Naruhito, 59, ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, the anniversary of their matrimony was the last they would celebrate during the 85-year-old Emperor's reign.
In 1959, then-Crown Prince Akihito married Michiko Shoda, the daughter of a businessman, making her the first commoner ever to wed an heir to the Imperial throne. More than 500,000 people took to the streets to watch them pass in a horse-drawn carriage. The Emperor will step down on April 30, becoming the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in more than 200 years.