Emperor Naruhito wishes for a year where people will be able to lead their lives with hope after one marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war in Ukraine, his New Year address released Sunday showed.
The 62-year-old took note of the many hardships people have gone through amid the continued impact of the pandemic, as well as a rise in commodity and energy prices.
"I wish for the new year to be one in which people in Japan and the rest of the world can walk with hope," he said in a statement.