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by Shingo Ito and Richard Carter Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — “Reiwa”: Japan Monday revealed the name of the era that will define the new emperor’s reign when he ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne next month following the first abdication in around 200 years. The new imperial name consists of two characters: “Rei”, which can mean “order” but also “auspicious” and “Wa”, usually translated as “peace” or “harmony.” After weeks of fevered speculation […]
Japan’s Emperor Akihito urged his country to be open to the outside world at a ceremony marking 30 years of his reign on Sunday, ahead of his abdication later this year. Akihito will abdicate from the Chrysanthemum Throne on April 30, making way for Crown Prince Naruhito to replace him the following day. “Our country has cultivated its own culture as an island nation,” he said at the ceremony in Tokyo. “As the world has […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s ageing Emperor Akihito resumed his official duties on Thursday after three days of treatment for insufficient blood supply to the brain, a palace spokesman told AFP. The 84-year-old had cancelled engagements from Monday after suffering dizziness and nausea caused by the condition, known as cerebral anemia. A palace spokesman said the monarch on Thursday was “doing his official duties as usual,” declining to comment further. On Wednesday the palace had […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s 84-year-old Emperor Akihito cancelled his official duties on Monday after being taken ill, the country’s top government spokesman said. Akihito “had a sudden feeling of sickness and heavy sweating” in the early morning and Empress Michiko “immediately brought in the palace doctor,” Yoshihide Suga told reporters. The doctor diagnosed the emperor with “symptoms of vertigo and nausea due to cerebral anemia, which require a complete rest and follow-up checks,” […]
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) – Japan’s parliament on Friday (June 9) passed a law allowing Emperor Akihito to abdicate, clearing the way for the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in nearly two centuries, and for the accession of his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, probably late next year. In a vote televised live on NHK public television, the upper house of parliament passed the bill 235 to zero opposed, though a handful of lawmakers sat out […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s emperor left for Vietnam on Tuesday to meet families of Japanese soldiers sent there by his father more than seven decades earlier during World War II. The 83-year-old Akihito and his wife, Michiko, are making their first visit to the country, the latest in a series of trips to former battlegrounds. “It is our hope that our visit to Vietnam will contribute to the further development of the mutual understanding […]
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito turned 57 on Thursday (February 23) saying he is ready to become emperor after his father Akihito, who could abdicate as soon as next year, and that like him, he will be an emperor who “shares the pain and joy of the people”. A government panel is debating how to allow the 83-year-old Akihito, who has had heart surgery and prostate cancer treatment, to step down after […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan is planning for Emperor Akihito to retire and be replaced by his eldest son on January 1, 2019, reports said Wednesday, as the country works on a legal framework for its first abdication in 200 years. Akihito, 83, expressed a desire in August to abdicate after nearly three decades on the Chrysanthemum Throne, citing his advancing age and weakening health. Major national newspapers — the Yomiuri, Asahi, Mainichi and Nikkei […]
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Tens of thousands of people flocked to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday (December 23) to wish Japan’s Emperor Akihito a happy 83rd birthday. The Imperial Household Agency said more than 33,000 people gathered at the palace before noon, the biggest turnout in Emperor Akihito’s 28-year-long reign, as this year may be the last year they hold a mass celebration for him. “There are only few days left in […]
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Five key facts about the election of Rome’s new mayor on Sunday: A woman at last Every king, consul, emperor and pope who has run Rome since it was founded two and a half millennia ago has been male: that looks set to change with Virginia Raggi the runaway favourite to be the next mayor. Female mayors club Raggi headed the first round with 35 percent of votes, well ahead of […]
MANILA, Oct. 14 — Malacañang has announced the state visit of Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to the Philippines scheduled for early next year. Communication Secretary Herminio ‘Sonny’ Coloma Jr. said the Philippines has begun coordinating with Japan regarding thei emperor and empress’ arrival to the country. “We are pleased to announce that the Philippines has started necessary coordination with Japan for a visit of Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, to the Philippines, […]
