Naruhito

Before becoming emperor, he was generally referred in the Japanese press by his given name and princely title. Upon succeeding to the throne, he is no longer referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Majesty the Emperor" (天皇陛下, Tennō Heika) which may be shortened to "His Majesty" (陛下, Heika).[4] In writing, the Emperor is also referred to formally as "The Reigning Emperor" (今上天皇, Kinjō Tennō). The era of Naruhito's reign bears the name "Reiwa" (令和) pronounced [ɾeːwa] (listen), and according to custom he will be renamed Emperor Reiwa (令和天皇, Reiwa Tennō, see "posthumous name") by order of the Cabinet after his death. The name of the next era under his successor will be established after his death or before his abdication.[5]

Naruhito in February 1961

Naruhito was born on 23 February 1960 at 4:15 p.m. in the Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace.[6] As a prince, he later quipped, "I was born in a barn inside the moat".[7] His parents, Akihito and Michiko, were then crown prince and crown princess of Japan, while his paternal grandfather, Hirohito, reigned as emperor. Reuters reported that Naruhito's paternal grandmother, Empress Kōjun, had driven her daughter-in-law and grandchildren to depression in the 1960s by persistently accusing Michiko of not being suitable for her son.[8]

Naruhito's childhood was reported to be happy, and he enjoyed activities such as mountain climbing, riding, and learning the violin. He played with the children of the royal chamberlain, and he was a fan of the Yomiuri Giants in the Central League, his favorite player being No. 3, later team manager, Shigeo Nagashima. One day, Naruhito found the remains of an ancient roadway in the palace grounds, sparking a lifelong fascination with the history of transportation, which would provide the subject of his bachelor's and master's degrees in history.[9] He later said, "I have had a keen interest in roads since childhood. On roads you can go to the unknown world. Since I have been leading a life where I have few chances to go out freely, roads are a precious bridge to the unknown world, so to speak."[10]

In August 1974, when the prince was 14, he was sent to Melbourne, Australia, for a homestay. Naruhito's father, then the Crown Prince Akihito, had had a positive experience there on a trip the year before, and encouraged his son to go as well.[11] He stayed with the family of businessman Colin Harper.[12] He got along with his host brothers, riding around Point Lonsdale, playing the violin and tennis, and climbing Uluru together.[13] Once he even played the violin for dignitaries at a state dinner at Government House hosted by Governor-General Sir John Kerr.[14]

Naruhito, aged 9, with his parents and siblings, 1969

When Naruhito was four years old he was enrolled in the prestigious Gakushūin school system, where many of Japan's elite families and narikin (nouveaux riches) send their children.[15] In senior high, Naruhito joined the geography club.[16]

Naruhito graduated from Gakushuin University in March 1982 with a Bachelor of Letters degree in history.[17] In July 1983, Naruhito undertook a three-month intensive English course before entering Merton College, Oxford University, in the United Kingdom,[18] where he studied until 1986. Naruhito did not, however, submit his thesis A Study of Navigation and Traffic on the Upper Thames in the 18th Century until 1989.[19] He later revisited these years in his book, The Thames and I – a Memoir of Two Years at Oxford. He visited some 21 historic pubs, including the Trout Inn.[20] Naruhito joined the Japan Society and the drama society, and became the honorary president of the karate and judo clubs.[21] He played inter-college tennis, seeded number three out of six on the Merton team,[21] and took golf lessons from a pro.[21] In his three years at Merton he also climbed the highest peaks in three of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom: Scotland's Ben Nevis, Wales's Snowdon and Scafell Pike in England.[22]

While at Oxford, Naruhito also was able to go sightseeing across Europe and meet much of its royalty, including the British royal family.[22] The relatively relaxed manners of the United Kingdom's royals amazed him: "Queen Elizabeth II, he noted with surprise, poured her own tea and served the sandwiches."[23] He also went skiing with Liechtenstein's Prince Hans-Adam II, holidayed in Mallorca in the Mediterranean with Spain's King Juan Carlos I, and sailed with Norway's Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.[24]

Upon his return to Japan, Naruhito enrolled once more in Gakushūin University to earn a Master of Humanities degree in history, successfully earning his degree in 1988.[25]

Naruhito at his Ceremony for Proclamation of Crown Prince (Rikkōshi-Senmei-no-gi) in 1991

The Crown Prince was a patron of the 1998 Winter Olympics and 1998 Winter Paralympics. The prince is also a supporter of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and in 2006 attended the 14th Nippon Jamboree, the Japanese national jamboree organized by the Scout Association of Japan. The crown prince has also been an honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society since 1994.[31] In 2001, the Crown Prince visited the United Kingdom; he met Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle.[36]

For two weeks in 2012, Naruhito temporarily took charge of his father's duties while the Emperor underwent and recovered from heart bypass surgery.[37] Naruhito's birthday was named "Mount Fuji Day" by Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures because of his reported love of the mountain.

Emperor Naruhito wearing the sokutai at the enthronement ceremony in October 2019

On 1 December 2017, the government announced that Naruhito's father, Emperor Akihito, would abdicate on 30 April 2019, and that Naruhito would become the 126th emperor of Japan as of 1 May 2019.[38][39] Following an abdication ceremony on the afternoon of 30 April, Akihito's reign and the Heisei era continued until the end of the day. Naruhito then succeeded him as emperor at the beginning of the day on 1 May, ushering in the Reiwa era. The transition took place at midnight, and Naruhito formally began his reign in a ceremony later that morning. In his first statement as emperor, he pledged to reflect deeply on the course followed by his father, and fulfill his constitutional responsibility "as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people of Japan".[1]

Under Article 4 of the Constitution, Naruhito's role is defined as entirely ceremonial and representative, without even nominal powers related to government;[40] he is barred from making political statements.[1] His role is limited to performing ceremonial duties as delineated by the Constitution, and even then he is constrained by the requirements of the Constitution and the binding advice of the Cabinet. For instance, while he formally appoints the prime minister, he is required to appoint the person designated by the National Diet.[41]

Naruhito's enthronement ceremony took place on 22 October 2019,[42] where he was duly enthroned in an ancient-style proclamation ceremony. On 23 July 2021, Naruhito opened the 2020 Summer Olympics (originally scheduled to be played in 2020, postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic) hosted in Tokyo, just as his grandfather, Hirohito, had done in 1964.

Naruhito's first trip abroad as Emperor took place in September 2022, to the United Kingdom to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.[43][44]

• 1993 – Temuzu to tomoni: Eikoku no ninenkan (テムズとともに: 英国の二年間, OCLC 032395987)
• 2006 – The Thames and I: A Memoir of Two Years at Oxford with Hugh Cortazzi. Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental. ISBN 978-1-905246-06-9; OCLC 65196090

• Hills, Ben (2006). Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne. Penguin. ISBN 1585425680.

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• Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Household Agency website