Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019 following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign is known as the Reiwa era.
Naruhito is the elder son of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko. He was born during the reign of his paternal grandfather, Hirohito. He became heir apparent following his father's accession in 1989, and 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. He married the diplomat Masako Owada in 1993. They have one daughter: Aiko, Princess Toshi.
Continuing his grandfather's and father's boycott over the enshrinement of convicted war criminals, he has never visited Yasukuni Shrine. He is an advocate in the fields of water policy and water conservation. He was an honorary president of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and is a supporter of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
Before his accession, he was generally referred in the Japanese press by his princely title Kōtaishi (Crown Prince, 皇太子; lit. 'Great Imperial Son'). Upon succeeding to the throne he is referred to as "His Majesty the Emperor" (天皇陛下, Tennō Heika), which may be shortened to "His Majesty" (陛下, Heika). In writing, the emperor is also referred to formally as "The Reigning Emperor" (今上天皇, Kinjō Tennō). The era of his reign bears the name "Reiwa" (令和) pronounced [ɾeːwa] , and according to custom he will be referred to as Emperor Reiwa (令和天皇, Reiwa Tennō; see "posthumous name") 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.
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, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, were then crown prince and crown princess of Japan, while his paternal grandfather, Hirohito, reigned as emperor.
His childhood was reported to be happy, and he enjoyed activities such as mountain climbing, horseback 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. His father, then the crown prince, 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 a businessman named Colin Harper. He got along with his host brothers, riding around Point Lonsdale, playing the violin and tennis, and climbing Uluru together. Once, he played the violin for dignitaries at a state dinner at Government House hosted by Governor-General Sir John Kerr.
When the Prince 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.
He graduated from Gakushuin University in March 1982 with a Bachelor of Letters degree in history. In July 1983, he undertook a three-month intensive English course before entering Merton College of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, where he studied until 1986. He 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. He 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, he also was able to go sightseeing across Europe and meet much of its royalty, including the British royal family. The relatively relaxed manners of the United Kingdom's royals amazed him: "Queen Elizabeth II, he noted with surprise, poured her own tea and served the sandwiches." He also went skiing with Liechtenstein's Prince Hans-Adam II, holidayed in Mallorca in the Mediterranean with Spain's King Juan Carlos I, and sailed with Norway's Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
Upon his return to Japan, he enrolled once more in Gakushūin University to earn a Master of Humanities degree in history, successfully earning his degree in 1988.
Naruhito first met Masako Owada, a staff member working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a tea gathering for Infanta Elena of Spain in November 1986, during her studies at the University of Tokyo. The prince was immediately captivated by her, and arranged for them to meet several times over the next few weeks. Because of this, they were pursued relentlessly by the press throughout 1987.
Despite the Imperial Household Agency's disapproval of her, and her attending Balliol College, Oxford, for the next two years, he remained interested in her. He proposed to her three times before the Imperial Palace announced their engagement on 19 January 1993. The wedding took place on 9 June the same year at the Imperial Shinto Hall in Tokyo before 800 invited guests, including many of Europe's heads of state and royalty.
By the time of their marriage, his father had ascended the throne, so the prince had been invested as the crown prince with the title Prince Hiro (浩宮, Hiro-no-miya) on 23 February 1991.
Her first pregnancy was announced in December 1999, but she miscarried. They finally had one daughter, Aiko, Princess Toshi (敬宮愛子内親王, Toshi-no-miya Aiko Naishinnō), born 1 December 2001 at the Imperial Household Agency Hospital at Tokyo Imperial Palace.
He is interested in water policy and water conservation. In March 2003, in his capacity as honorary president of the Third World Water Forum, he delivered a speech at the forum's opening ceremony titled "Waterways Connecting Kyoto and Local Regions". Visiting Mexico in March 2006, he gave the keynote address at the opening ceremony for the Fourth World Water Forum, "Edo and Water Transport". And in December 2007, he gave a commemorative talk at the opening ceremony for the First Asia-Pacific Water Summit, "Humans and Water: From Japan to the Asia-Pacific Region".
He plays the viola, having switched from the violin because he thought the latter "too much of a leader, too prominent" to suit his musical and personal tastes. He enjoys jogging, hiking, and mountaineering in his spare time.