Naruhito

Naruhito (徳仁) is Emperor of Japan.

Naruhito was born on 23 February 1960 at 4:15 p.m. in the Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace.

As a prince, he later quipped, "I was born in a barn inside the moat".

His parents, Akihito and Michiko, were then crown prince and crown princess of Japan, while his paternal grandfather, Emperor Shōwa, 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.

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 on 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.

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."

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.

He stayed with the family of businessman Colin Harper.

He got along with his host brothers, riding around Point Lonsdale, playing the violin and tennis, and climbing Uluru together.

Once he even played the violin for dignitaries at a state dinner at Government House hosted by Governor-General Sir John Kerr.

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.

In senior high, Naruhito joined the geography club.

Naruhito graduated from Gakushuin University in March 1982 with a Bachelor of Letters degree in history.

In July 1983, Naruhito undertook a three-month intensive English course before entering Merton College, Oxford University, in the United Kingdom, where he studied until 1986.

Emperor Hirohito died in 1989, at which point Akihito became emperor and Naruhito became the heir apparent.

Naruhito did not, however, submit his thesis A Study of Navigation and Traffic on the Upper Thames in the 18th Century until 1989.

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.

Naruhito joined the Japan Society and the drama society, and became the honorary president of the karate and judo clubs.

He played inter-college tennis, seeded number three out of six on the Merton team, and took golf lessons from a pro.

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.

While at Oxford, Naruhito also was able to go sightseeing across Europe and meet much of its royalty, including the British royal family.

Naruhito was formally invested as crown prince in 1991.

He attended Gakushūin schools in Tokyo and later studied history at Gakushuin University and English at Merton College, Oxford.

In 1993, he married diplomat Masako Owada.

They have one daughter, Aiko, Princess Toshi.

Continuing his grandfather's and father's boycott over the enshrinement of convicted war criminals, Naruhito has never visited Yasukuni Shrine.

He is interested in water policy and water conservation and likes to play the viola.

He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession.

Naruhito was born in Tokyo during the reign of his grandfather Hirohito as the eldest child of Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko.

He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito.

He was an honorary president of the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics and is a supporter of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

Before becoming emperor, Naruhito 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 as "His Majesty the Emperor" (天皇陛下), which may be shortened to "His Majesty" (陛下).

In writing, the Emperor is also referred to formally as "The Reigning Emperor" (今上天皇).

The era of Naruhito's reign bears the name "Reiwa" (令和), and according to custom he will be renamed Emperor Reiwa (令和天皇) 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.