Empress Emerita Michiko turned 86 on Tuesday, marking her birthday amid the coronavirus pandemic that has caused her to spend the majority of her time quietly at her residence in Tokyo.
The former empress has had a mild fever since May, but she has been expressing concern about the impact of the pandemic on society, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
She is marking her second birthday since her husband, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, stepped down from the chrysanthemum throne on April 30 last year.