Akihito (23 December 1933–), formally known as Emperor Heisei, was Emperor of Japan from 8 January 1989 to 30 April 2019, succeeding Hirohito and preceding Naruhito.
Biography[]
Akihito was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1933, the eldest son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kojun. He was tutored in English during the Allied occupation of Japan following World War II, and he was invested as Crown Prince of Japan on 10 November 1952, represented Japan at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in June 1953, and married the future Empress Michiko on 19 April 1959. He succeeded his father as Emperor in 1989, and he presided over a peaceful reign marked by his efforts to promote environmental protection and to increase the royal family's visibility by personally visiting all of Japan's 47 prefectures. In 2019, the 85-year-old Akihito abdicated the throne due to his advanced age and declining health, and his son Naruhito succeeded him as Emperor.