The imperial family celebrates a new leader, but the line of succession remains a worry
ON APRIL 30TH Emperor Akihito will step down as the head of Japan’s royal family after 30 years on the throne. The 85-year-old monarch’s decision came as a shock, as it is the first imperial abdication since 1817. Akihito’s eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito , will duly become the 126th emperor of the world’s oldest monarchy, which according to Japanese myth traces its origins directly back to the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu.
The postwar constitution changed the emperor from a living god with political powers, including the right to declare war, to a symbol of Japan. Akihito, who ascended the throne in 1989, has interpreted this role differently from his father. Rather than sitting in the palace and praying, he made the emperor more approachable. He married a commoner, the first monarch to do so in nearly 2,680 years of imperial history, visited sanatoriums that house leprosy patients, and championed the Paralympics.
Akihito’s efforts to bridge the gap between the monarchy and the public have ensured his family’s popularity. But imperial crises loom that not even a popular monarch can fix. Under Japan’s Imperial Household Law, the family cannot be headed by a female, so on Naruhito’s accession, the next in line of succession will be his brother, followed by his 12-year-old nephew.
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