National Dec 23, 2018
Emperor Akihito, 85, greets public as he celebrates last birthday on throne
by Ryusei Takahashi
Tens of thousands of people gather to celebrate Emperor Akihito’s 85th birthday as the end of the Heisei Era draws closer.
NEWSWORTHY
National Aug 5, 2018
Hokkaido celebrates 150th anniversary of its naming with a plug for ethnic diversity
by Eric Johnston
Hokkaido formally celebrated the 150th anniversary of its name Sunday in Sapporo, with the Emperor and Empress in attendance and Ainu representatives performing traditional dances. The island prefecture was officially named Hokkaido on Aug. 15, 1869, and formally put under the control of the government. ...
National Mar 5, 2018
Imperial Couple's potentially last visit to Okinawa to take place later this month
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will make a three-day visit to Okinawa from March 27 to commemorate the victims of World War II in what might be their final trip to the prefecture before the Emperor's abdication, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday. The Imperial ...
National Jan 19, 2018
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited their future home on Friday, an Imperial property they will temporarily move to after the Emperor abdicates on April 30, 2019. The Takanawa Imperial Residence in Tokyo's Minato Ward is the former home of Prince and Princess Takamatsu and ...
National Jan 12, 2018
Empress reflects upon Emperor's devotion to state responsibilities in poetry
Ahead of his abdication next year, Empress Michiko reflected on the path her husband Emperor Akihito has followed in a poem recited Friday at the annual New Year Poetry Reading ceremony at the Imperial Palace. This year's theme for the waka (poems) was go, which ...
National Aug 17, 2017
Emperor, Empress to visit remote isles, Kyushu disaster sites in October
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are planning to visit in late October the Kyushu region, which had recently been battered by torrential rain, to offer encouragement to residents recovering from the disaster, sources affiliated with the Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday. They are also considering ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Feb 6, 2016
Imperial couple take stand for remembrance
by Philip Brasor
In recent years, the Imperial couple have made an effort to leave behind a meaningful legacy by visiting World War II battlefields. The idea is to ensure that future generations of Japanese do not forget the war and its bitter lessons. However, until they visited ...
National Jan 28, 2016
In Philippines visit, Emperor asks youth to keep memories of World War II alive
Emperor Akihito on Wednesday urged younger generations to "keep alive the memories of the Second World War" and the hardship that followed, as a way of avoiding conflict amid growing maritime tension in the East and South China seas. The Emperor, 82, who met Philippine ...
National Jan 9, 2016
Japan's Imperial Couple to visit Philippines later this month
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will make a five-day trip to the Philippines from Jan. 26 on the 60th anniversary of the normalization of ties between the two nations. It will be the first official visit by a Japanese Emperor to the Southeast Asian country, ...
National Oct 29, 2014
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko met on Wednesday with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, who are visiting Japan as state guests. During the meeting at the Imperial Palace, the king said many Japanese companies have expanded into the Netherlands and created new jobs there, ...
National Dec 4, 2013
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Tuesday visited the India International Centre, a cultural exchange facility in New Delhi, 53 years after taking part in a ceremony to launch its construction when they were still the Crown Prince and Princess. Among those the Empress met ...