Akihito himself is a direct descendent of Japan’s first emperor Jimmu, believed to have reigned around 660 BC. The last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku in 1817 in the later part of the ...

Japan's Emperor Akihito addresses at the House of Councillors plenary session in Tokyo, Japan, on August 1. Kyodo/Reuters. Japan's left is deeply suspicious of Abe's desire for constitutional change.

In 2019, Emperor Akihito became the first Japanese emperor to abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne in over two centuries. He presided over a very transitory time in Japanese royal history—the role ...

Japan's beloved former Emperor Akihito marked his 91st birthday on Monday, as he continues to pursue his lifetime research into goby fish, care for his wife and pray for peace.

July 2018 – Emperor Akihito cancels public duties after suffering dizziness and nausea due to cerebral anemia. April 30, 2019 – Emperor Akihito formally abdicates during a ceremony in Tokyo.

Bitter feelings were fresh in Okinawa in the 1970s, when many people said the emperor should take responsibility. Akihito, who was almost hit by a Molotov cocktail thrown during his visit to ...

Japan’s former emperor Akihito celebrated his 91st birthday on Monday by spending most of his time caring for his wife who is recovering from a broken leg, according to reports.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his family have prayed for all the war dead in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II fought on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa 80 years ago ...

TOKYO — Japan's beloved former Emperor Akihito marked his 91st birthday on Monday, as he continues to pursue his lifetime research into goby fish, care for his wife and pray for peace.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his family have visited Okinawa to pray for the war dead ahead of the 80th anniversary marking ...

Naruhito's father, the 91-year-old former Emperor Akihito, cared especially about Okinawa because of its difficult history, setting an example for his son. The emperor and his wife, Empress Masako, ...