Emperor Naruhito Fast Facts

Updated 8:55 AM EST, Sun February 13, 2022
Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito attends a wedding in Luxembourg in 2012. He is the oldest son of Emperor Akihito.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito attends a wedding in Luxembourg in 2012. He is the oldest son of Emperor Akihito.
Naruhito is held by his mother, Crown Princess Michiko, after being born in Tokyo in February 1960. Naruhito's name means "a man who will acquire heavenly virtues."
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito is held by his mother, Crown Princess Michiko, after being born in Tokyo in February 1960. Naruhito's name means "a man who will acquire heavenly virtues."
Michiko plays with 2-year-old Naruhito in the gardens of the Togu Royal Palace in May 1961.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Michiko plays with 2-year-old Naruhito in the gardens of the Togu Royal Palace in May 1961.
Naruhito walks with his parents on a beach at the Hayama Imperial Villa in June 1961.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito walks with his parents on a beach at the Hayama Imperial Villa in June 1961.
Naruhito plays on a swing on his fifth birthday in February 1965.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito plays on a swing on his fifth birthday in February 1965.
Naruhito throws a paper airplane with his parents in October 1965.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito throws a paper airplane with his parents in October 1965.
Naruhito studies a globe with his mother in February 1968.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito studies a globe with his mother in February 1968.
Naruhito paddles at the Children's Land playground in Yokohama, Japan, in June 1968.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito paddles at the Children's Land playground in Yokohama, Japan, in June 1968.
Naruhito runs a relay race at his school in Tokyo in 1970.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito runs a relay race at his school in Tokyo in 1970.
Naruhito, front middle, plays a pinball game with his two siblings -- Sayako, left, and Fumihito -- in 1972. Watching them, from left, are their parents, Michiko and Akihito; their grandparents, Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako; their uncle Masahito; and their aunt Hanako.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito, front middle, plays a pinball game with his two siblings -- Sayako, left, and Fumihito -- in 1972. Watching them, from left, are their parents, Michiko and Akihito; their grandparents, Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako; their uncle Masahito; and their aunt Hanako.
Tomohide Gomi, honorary professor of Tokyo University, teaches Naruhito about the "Manyoshu" poetry anthology in 1977. Naruhito studied at Oxford University in England. He earned a degree from Gakushuin University in Tokyo.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Tomohide Gomi, honorary professor of Tokyo University, teaches Naruhito about the "Manyoshu" poetry anthology in 1977. Naruhito studied at Oxford University in England. He earned a degree from Gakushuin University in Tokyo.
Naruhito and his parents welcome former US President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan in 1989.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito and his parents welcome former US President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan in 1989.
Naruhito chats with his fiancee, Masako Owada, in June 1993. Like his father, Naruhito married a commoner. Masako previously worked as a diplomat.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito chats with his fiancee, Masako Owada, in June 1993. Like his father, Naruhito married a commoner. Masako previously worked as a diplomat.
Naruhito leaves the sanctuary inside the palace where he attended wedding rites with his bride in June 1993.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito leaves the sanctuary inside the palace where he attended wedding rites with his bride in June 1993.
Tokyo metro police control an excited crowd of "Masako admirers" before the start of a parade honoring Naruhito and his new wife in 1993.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Tokyo metro police control an excited crowd of "Masako admirers" before the start of a parade honoring Naruhito and his new wife in 1993.
Crown Princess Masako waves to the imperial household staff as she and Naruhito depart for their wedding parade.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Crown Princess Masako waves to the imperial household staff as she and Naruhito depart for their wedding parade.
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, left, lead their children and their spouses during a garden party in Tokyo in 1997.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, left, lead their children and their spouses during a garden party in Tokyo in 1997.
Naruhito and Masako walk with their daughter, Aiko, during a family outing in August 2002. Aiko is their only child.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito and Masako walk with their daughter, Aiko, during a family outing in August 2002. Aiko is their only child.
Naruhito and Masako attend the funeral of Akihito's cousin, Prince Takamado, in November 2002.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito and Masako attend the funeral of Akihito's cousin, Prince Takamado, in November 2002.
Naruhito takes a photo of photographers during a five-day visit to Portugal in May 2004.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito takes a photo of photographers during a five-day visit to Portugal in May 2004.
Naruhito, center, takes part in Gakushuin University's alumni orchestra concert in July 2004.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito, center, takes part in Gakushuin University's alumni orchestra concert in July 2004.
Naruhito pays his respects to the late Pope John Paul II during a memorial service in Tokyo in April 2005.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito pays his respects to the late Pope John Paul II during a memorial service in Tokyo in April 2005.
Naruhito with his wife, Masako, and his daughter, Aiko, in November 2005.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito with his wife, Masako, and his daughter, Aiko, in November 2005.
Naruhito and his family mingle with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and members of her family during a trip to Apeldoorn, Netherlands, in 2006.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito and his family mingle with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and members of her family during a trip to Apeldoorn, Netherlands, in 2006.
Princess Aiko dances in front of her parents during a school sports event in 2007.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Princess Aiko dances in front of her parents during a school sports event in 2007.
Naruhito delivers a speech in Tokyo during a send-off ceremony for Japanese Olympians in 2008.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito delivers a speech in Tokyo during a send-off ceremony for Japanese Olympians in 2008.
Naruhito is joined by his parents and other family members during a park visit in 2009.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito is joined by his parents and other family members during a park visit in 2009.
Naruhito takes a photo of a rhinoceros while touring a reserve in Kenya in March 2010.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito takes a photo of a rhinoceros while touring a reserve in Kenya in March 2010.
Naruhito, Aiko and Masako pose with their pets in December 2010.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito, Aiko and Masako pose with their pets in December 2010.
Naruhito and Masako listen to Iwanuma Mayor Tsneaki Iguchi while touring the tsunami-devastated city in June 2011.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito and Masako listen to Iwanuma Mayor Tsneaki Iguchi while touring the tsunami-devastated city in June 2011.
Naruhito and Masako trail Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko as they leave for Great Britain in 2012. They were going to attend a ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito and Masako trail Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko as they leave for Great Britain in 2012. They were going to attend a ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.
Naruhito and Masako attend King Willem's inauguration ceremony in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2013.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito and Masako attend King Willem's inauguration ceremony in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2013.
Princess Aiko and her parents attend her graduation ceremony at the Gakushuin Primary School in March 2014.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Princess Aiko and her parents attend her graduation ceremony at the Gakushuin Primary School in March 2014.
Naruhito, second from left, joins his father as they greet the public at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in December 2014.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito, second from left, joins his father as they greet the public at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in December 2014.
Naruhito jogs around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in February 2015.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito jogs around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in February 2015.
Naruhito arrives in Paris in September 2018.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito arrives in Paris in September 2018.
Naruhito waves with his father, who was delivering his final New Year's address in 2019.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
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Naruhito waves with his father, who was delivering his final New Year's address in 2019.
Naruhito and Masako are greeted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, who were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in April 2019.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images
Naruhito and Masako are greeted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, who were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in April 2019.
Naruhito, standing on a dais, inherits the imperial regalia during his ascension ceremony in May 2019.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
Pool/Kyodo via AP
Naruhito, standing on a dais, inherits the imperial regalia during his ascension ceremony in May 2019.
Naruhito delivers his first speech after his ascension to the throne. In his remarks, he acknowledged the assumption of his role as an "important responsibility," and he paid tribute to his father's legacy.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
Pool/Kyodo News via Getty Images
Naruhito delivers his first speech after his ascension to the throne. In his remarks, he acknowledged the assumption of his role as an "important responsibility," and he paid tribute to his father's legacy.
CNN  — 

Here’s a look at the life of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, the 126th Emperor to ascend to Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne.

Personal

Birth date: February 23, 1960

Birth place: Tokyo, Japan

Previous name: Hironomiya Naruhito

Father: Emperor Emeritus Akihito

Mother: Empress Emerita Michiko

Marriage: Masako Owada (June 9, 1993-present)

Children: Princess Aiko

Education: Gakushuin University, B.A., 1982; Attended Merton College at the University of Oxford, 1983-1985; Attended Gakushuin University for doctoral studies

Other Facts

His grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, was Japan’s longest-reigning monarch, and ruled during World War II. During Hirohito’s reign, Japanese forces occupied Manchuria, Korea and large parts of southeast Asia.

Prior to Akihito, the last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku in 1817 in the later part of the Edo Period, and the royal male line is unbroken, records show, for at least 14 centuries.

Is an advocate for clean water and water conservation.

Timeline

February 23, 1991 - Is formally invested as the crown prince after his grandfather’s death in January 1989.

1992 - Receives a commission for a visiting research fellow position at the Gakushuin University Museum of History.

2007 - Appointed as Honorary President of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation.

February 2012 - When Akihito undergoes heart bypass surgery, Naruhito temporarily fills in for the emperor during official functions.

February 23, 2015 - During a press conference marking his 55th birthday, Naruhito comments on Japan’s controversial role in World War II: “I myself did not experience the war…but I think that it is important today, when memories of the war are fading, to look back humbly on the past and correctly pass on the tragic experiences and history Japan pursued from the generation which experienced the war to those without direct knowledge.”

June 9, 2017 - Japan’s parliament passes a historic bill that will allow Akihito to become the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in two centuries.

December 1, 2017 - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces that Emperor Akihito will stand down on April 30, 2019.

April 1, 2019 - The Japanese government announces that Naruhito’s reign will be known as the “Reiwa” era. The era, whose name includes the character for “harmony,” will formally begin once the new Emperor is crowned on May 1.

April 19, 2019 - The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to Japan in late May, becoming Naruhito’s first official foreign guests.

May 1, 2019 - Formally ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Naruhito uses his first remarks following the ceremony to acknowledge the assumption of emperor as an “important responsibility,” and pays tribute to his father’s legacy.

October 22, 2019 - Naruhito officially proclaims his enthronement, in a ritual-bound, centuries-old ceremony attended by more than a hundred dignitaries from around the world.

Japan's new Emperor Naruhito, right, attends his coronation ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday, May 1. Standing at left is his brother, Crown Prince Akishino.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Japan Pool via AP
Japan's new Emperor Naruhito, right, attends his coronation ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday, May 1. Standing at left is his brother, Crown Prince Akishino.
Naruhito is followed by his wife, Masako, as he walks to make his first address as Emperor.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Japan Pool via AP
Naruhito is followed by his wife, Masako, as he walks to make his first address as Emperor.
Naruhito delivers his first speech after his ascension to the throne. In his remarks, he acknowledged the assumption of his role as an "important responsibility," and he paid tribute to his father's legacy.
Photos: Japan's Naruhito: From Crown Prince to Emperor
Pool/Kyodo News via Getty Images
Naruhito delivers his first speech after his ascension to the throne. In his remarks, he acknowledged the assumption of his role as an "important responsibility," and he paid tribute to his father's legacy.
Naruhito, standing on a dais, inherits the imperial regalia.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Pool/Kyodo via AP
Naruhito, standing on a dais, inherits the imperial regalia.
People take pictures as the royal family leaves the Imperial Palace.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
People take pictures as the royal family leaves the Imperial Palace.
People at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine receive sake as they celebrate the change of an era.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
People at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine receive sake as they celebrate the change of an era.
Naruhito's motorcade leaves the Imperial Palace after his imperial rituals.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Takuya Inaba/Kyodo via AP
Naruhito's motorcade leaves the Imperial Palace after his imperial rituals.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie, bow as they arrive for Naruhito's ascension ceremony.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie, bow as they arrive for Naruhito's ascension ceremony.
People bow toward the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as they wait for the new emperor to ascend to the throne.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Eugene Hoshiko/AP
People bow toward the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as they wait for the new emperor to ascend to the throne.
Sumo wrestlers create the characters for "Reiwa," Japan's new imperial era, at a Tokyo sports arena.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
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Sumo wrestlers create the characters for "Reiwa," Japan's new imperial era, at a Tokyo sports arena.
Naruhito's motorcade drives past crowds of well-wishers.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Takuya Inaba/Kyodo News via AP
Naruhito's motorcade drives past crowds of well-wishers.
Naruhito's wife, Masako, arrives at the Imperial Palace.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images
Naruhito's wife, Masako, arrives at the Imperial Palace.
Stamps are postmarked on the first day of the Reiwa era.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Kyodo News via Getty Images
Stamps are postmarked on the first day of the Reiwa era.
Shinto priests recite religious passages before entering the Meiji Shrine's main building for a ceremony on Wednesday. The ceremony reported the new emperor's enthronement to the royal family's ancestors.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
Shinto priests recite religious passages before entering the Meiji Shrine's main building for a ceremony on Wednesday. The ceremony reported the new emperor's enthronement to the royal family's ancestors.
People gather to see the new Emperor leaving the Imperial Palace.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images
People gather to see the new Emperor leaving the Imperial Palace.
A girl holds calligraphy reading "Reiwa," the name of the new imperial era.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images
A girl holds calligraphy reading "Reiwa," the name of the new imperial era.
People gather to see the new Emperor and take photos.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images
People gather to see the new Emperor and take photos.
Naruhito waves to well-wishers.
Photos: In pictures: Japan's Naruhito ascends to the throne
The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images
Naruhito waves to well-wishers.