Twenty years ago on Jan. 7, 1989, the Emperor ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne immediately after the death of his father, the Emperor Showa. This year, the 20th anniversary of the Emperor's enthronement will be followed on April 10 by the 50th anniversary of his marriage with the Empress. We pray that the Emperor, now 75, will be blessed with good health and longevity.

Since his enthronement, the Emperor has devoted himself to faithfully playing the constitutional role of the emperor. Article 1 of the Constitution says, "The Emperor shall be the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power."

The Emperor's basic idea about his role is couched in the phrase: "Sharing both joy and hardship with people," words that he repeated after his enthronement. On Jan. 2, when people visited the Imperial Palace to congratulate the Imperial Family for the new year, his attitude was clearly manifested.