Emperor Akihito voiced hope Thursday that people all over the world will have a bright year in 2004, acknowledging that Japan faced severe economic and social conditions last year.
“I sincerely hope that this year will be a bright one for the people of Japan and the rest of the world,” the Emperor said in a New Year’s message released by the Imperial Household Agency.
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.