End of Japan's Heisei era

Akihito steps down as Japan faces constitutional crossroads

With Japan's Emperor Akihito due to step down on Tuesday, Insight looks at what has led to the monarch's pacifist stance and how this has shaped his role as 'symbol of the State and of the unity of the People'

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko dancing with children at a Tokyo daycare centre in 2001. The royal couple modernised the tradition-bound monarchy and reached out to the public. An Asahi daily survey showed that over three-quarters of the Japanese
Emperor Hirohito with Empress Kojun and their son, then Crown Prince Akihito, at the Imperial Palace in the 1950s. In showing remorse for the war fought in the name of his father, Emperor Akihito became a symbol of peace, but experts say his legacy might be imperilled by the government's march towards nationalism. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Emperor Hirohito with Empress Kojun and their son, then Crown Prince Akihito, at the Imperial Palace in the 1950s. In showing remorse for the war fought in the name of his father, Emperor Akihito became a symbol of peace, but experts say his legacy m
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko dancing with children at a Tokyo daycare centre in 2001. The royal couple modernised the tradition-bound monarchy and reached out to the public. An Asahi daily survey showed that over three-quarters of the Japanese felt ''familiar'' with the imperial family. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Walter Sim Japan Correspondent In Tokyo
Updated
Apr 30, 2019, 04:34 PM
Published
Apr 28, 2019, 05:00 AM
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But Emperor Akihito said in 2016 that the role as a symbol of the state involves travelling to remote places and islands, standing by the people, listening to their voices and being close to them in their thoughts.

Dr Kumada said in a recent commentary that, to the revisionists, "he has merely to be. All the better if his body remains hidden in the depths of the Imperial Palace while his sovereign powers are articulated by the state".

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on April 28, 2019, with the headline Akihito steps down as Japan faces constitutional crossroads. Subscribe

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