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| Affiliation | Monarchy |
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| Name | Akihito |
| Address |
Tokyo, , Japan |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
January 23, 1933
(91 years)
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| Contributor | Gerald Farinas |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Nov 03, 2023 12:07am |
| Tags |
Japanese - Shintō -
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| Info | Akihito
The 125th Emperor of Japan
On 7 January 1989, upon the demise of Emperor Hirohito (posthumously Emperor Showa), His Majesty Emperor Akihito acceded to the throne as the 125th Emperor of Japan. The Ceremony of Enthronement was held at the Imperial Palace on 12 November 1990. From abroad, representatives of 158 countries, including Monarchs and Heads of State, and of two international organizations attended the ceremony.
As stated in the Constitution of Japan, the Emperor is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people" and derives his position from "the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power."
Emperor Akihito was born in Tokyo on 23 December 1933, to the great joy of the entire nation, as the first son of Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun. He has four elder sisters, one younger brother and one younger sister.
His Majesty received his elementary and secondary education at Gakushuin, the then Imperial Household Ministry school which later became a private institution. While he was in the elementary school, he had to move temporarily out of Tokyo with his classmates because of the war. He was still in the mountains of Nikko when the war came to an end in 1945.
In 1952, he entered Gakushuin University's Faculty of Political Science and Economics. In the same year, his Coming-of-Age Ceremony and his Investiture as Crown Prince were held. He thus began to carry out official duties in his capacity as Crown Prince. The next year, he made his first overseas journey to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and travelled extensively in North America and Europe. He completed his university education as a special student in 1956.
In addition to his formal education, Emperor Akihito received special tutoring from authorities in various areas of learning, such as Japanese History and Constitutional Law.
On 10 April 1959, Crown Prince Akihito married Miss Michiko Shoda, daughter of a distinguished businessman. Dr. Shinzo Koizumi, who supervised the Crown Prince's education for many years, said of this marriage: "The Crown Prince chose her, and so did we." In accordance with the Imperial House Law, the Imperial House Council, headed by the Prime Minister, gave its unanimous consent to the marriage. The whole nation was enchanted by the traditional wedding ceremony and the splendid open horse-carriage procession that followed. It was one of the happiest days in the history of post-war Japan.
Crown Prince Akihito, with warm and devoted support from Crown Princess Michiko, pursued his official duties with renewed vigour, faithfully observing the time-honoured Imperial tradition and, at the same time, opening up new areas of activity befitting the role of the Crown Prince in the modern era.
Following his strong encouragement, the National Sports Games for the Disabled was initiated in 1965, bringing broader opportunities for the disabled to play their full role in society. An annual prize for outstanding work in the care of handicapped children was created with the support of the Crown Princess. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess met all the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers before they departed for their work in developing countries and followed their work with great interest thereafter. A Crown Prince Scholarship was created for student exchange between Japan and Hawaii where descendants of a large number of Japanese emigrants live.
As Crown Prince and Crown Princess, they visited 37 countries in all the regions of the world, in most cases on behalf of the then Emperor and Empress. They generated an enormous amount of goodwill in the countries they visited, as people came to appreciate their unassuming and sincere personalities.
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