Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Japan Emperor Greets Public in Final New Year's Appearance, New Era to Start


Wed 02 Jan 2019 | 01:42 PM
Yassmine Elsayed

By: Yassmine ElSayed

CAIRO, Jan. 2 (SEE) - Japanese Emperor

Akihito waved today to throngs of well-wishers eager to see his final New

Year's appearance before abdicating in several months, AP reported.

"I am truly happy to celebrate the New Year with all of

you under such cloudless skies," the 85-year-old emperor told the crowd

from a balcony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Akihito's three-decade reign is known in Japan as "Heisei,"

with the first character meaning "peace." A senior politician in the

ruling coalition said that a name for the new era will be announced on April 1.

Akihito has made annual New Year's appearances with his

wife, Empress Michiko, and other family members to wish peace for the nation.

Japanese media reported that more than 150,000 people

attended, a record under Akihito's reign. Many waited from early in the morning

and waved Japanese flags when Akihito appeared.

Akihito succeeded his father, wartime Emperor Hirohito, in

1989, and will abdicate on April 30, with his elder son, Naruhito, ascending to

the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Japan's imperial family is far more cloistered than its

Western counterparts, and Hirohito was once viewed as a god. Akihito strove to

become a more accessible emperor. He was the first in modern history to marry a

commoner, courting Michiko on the tennis courts. Both of his sons have married

commoners.

His abdication is also a rarity. He announced his desire to

step down in a video message, citing a worry about how well he could perform

his duties as his health declined.

Akihito appeared to wobble during a palace event earlier

this week to greet foreign dignitaries. Michiko reached out worriedly and held

up his arm with hers.

The public is closely watching to see how the younger and

more international couple might bring more openness to a role that holds no

political power but is widely recognized as a cultural and emotional symbol for

Japan.

Naruhito, 58, attended Oxford, speaks good English, plays

the cello and has vowed to "protect Masako."

Naruhito's younger brother and his family are also expected

to play a fairly major role. The Japanese throne is only inherited by male

heirs, and Naruhito's only child is a daughter. Prince Akishino and his young

son are next in the line of succession after Naruhito.