Empress emerita told to take it easy after doctors diagnose heart valve abnormalities
Empress Emerita Michiko has been diagnosed with heart valve abnormalities, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday. The 84-year-old former empress, who retired from official duties when Emperor Emeritus Akihito abdicated at the end of April, will have follow-up observations, with doctors calling for the burden ...
Empress Emerita Michiko will undergo a heart exam after a blood test earlier this week showed a higher risk of heart failure, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday. The 84-year-old former empress has experienced shortness of breath more frequently during her morning walks since the ...
Delivering his first speech since ascending to the Chrysanthemum Throne, Japan’s new emperor vowed to “act according to the Constitution” and fulfill his role as the symbol of the state.
Emperor Naruhito ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne on Wednesday, as the new imperial era — known as Reiwa — began following his father's abdication the previous day after three decades as emperor. The 59-year-old new emperor is expected to follow the footsteps of his father, ...
Japan's former emperor and empress to switch residences with their successors in Tokyo
Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko are set to vacate the Imperial Palace following Tuesday's abdication, to make way for the new emperor and his family as they hand over their public duties and look forward to leisurely days. The emperor emeritus and empress ...
Chronology of key events related to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko
The following is a chronology of major events related to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko: Dec. 23, 1933: Prince Akihito born as the elder son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako, who are posthumously called Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun. September 1939: World War ...
People across Japan look back on Heisei Era, with hopes that peace will reign through Reiwa
With the 30-year Heisei Era nearing its end as then-Emperor Akihito prepared to abdicate at midnight Tuesday, members of the public recalled the past three decades and expressed their hopes for the new era starting the next day. Crowds visited the Imperial Palace as rain ...
Japan's Emperor Akihito anticipated and battled with challenges of age in final years of his era
In recent years, the emperor has depended more on help from his assistants, who send him signals to proceed during official ceremonies and other events.
Emperor Akihito, who will abdicate Tuesday, has reigned for three decades from 1989 through the Heisei Era as a "symbol of the state and of the unity of the people" with Empress Michiko at his side. The Imperial Couple have made it their mission to ...
Emperor Akihito: A unifying figure who carved out a role as Japan's 'symbol of the state'
He and Empress Michiko have spent the last three decades comforting disaster victims and mourning the war dead, Japanese and non-Japanese alike.
Incoming Imperial monarchs offer Japan something new
Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife, Crown Princess Masako, represent a lot of firsts for the nation's next Imperial monarchs: university-educated, multilingual and with years of experience living overseas, during which the monarch-to-be even did his own laundry. As they prepare to carve out identities ...
Japan's Imperial couple return to Tokyo after last trip outside capital before Emperor's abdication
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko returned to Tokyo on Friday after a three-day trip to Mie Prefecture for ceremonies at the Grand Shrines of Ise, where the Emperor reported his abdication set for April 30. About 60,000 people gathered along roads and railway tracks and ...
