Japan reveals new 'era' name ahead of emperor's abdication

TOKYO- Japan on Monday announced its new imperial era, which will begin next month after Emperor Akihito abdicates, will be known as "Reiwa," a word that includes the character for "harmony."

The name consists of two characters: "Rei," which can have meanings related to "order" but also "auspicious" and "Wa," usually translated as "peace" or "harmony."

The government is expected to explain the official meaning as well as the English spelling for the name shortly.

"A short while ago, the government decided at a cabinet meeting on the new era name and how to pronounce it," Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference, holding up the new name painted in traditional calligraphy on white paper.

Although the Gregorian calendar is widely used in Japan, the imperial calendar is also in common use and the new era announcement has been highly anticipated.

Emperor Akihito will step down at the end of April and his son Crown Prince Naruhito will assume the throne on May 1, when the new era will officially begin.

The era that defined the reign of Akihito was known as "Heisei" (or "peace prevails everywhere"). 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tears as Japan emperor gives last New Year's address

TOKYO - Japan's Emperor Akihito delivered his final New Year's address Wednesday before his abdication later this year, telling tens of thousands of well-wishers he was praying for peace.

The Imperial Palace said more then 72,000 people flocked to the royal residence on Wednesday morning alone, with many more still arriving for a final chance to see the 85-year-old royal deliver his traditional new year's greeting.

The emperor will become the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in around two centuries when he steps down from the throne on April 30, ending his three-decade reign.

"I'm sincerely glad to celebrate the new year together with you under the clear sky," he told thousands of people, many waving Japanese flags and shouting "Banzai" or "long live." 

"I pray for the peace and happiness of the people of our country and the world," the soft-spoken Akihito added, flanked by Empress Michiko and other family members.

The emperor delivers a brief New Year's greeting every year, and was expected to appear five times on Wednesday to address as many well-wishers as possible.

Some in the morning crowd yelled "Thank you very much" as the emperor waved, while others sang the national anthem. One woman in the front row shed tears as she looked up at the balcony.

Akihito shocked the country in 2016 when he signaled his desire to take a back seat, citing his age and health problems.

His eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, is set to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne a day after his father's abdication, continuing the rule of the world's oldest imperial family.

The status of the emperor is sensitive in Japan given its 20th century history of war waged in the name of Akihito's father Hirohito, who died in 1989.

Akihito has keenly embraced the more modern role as a symbol of the state -- imposed after World War II ended. Previous emperors including his father, Hirohito, had been treated as semi-divine.

In a rare emotional address to mark his 85th birthday last month, Akihito pointed to the "countless lives" lost in the war.

"It gives me deep comfort that the Heisei Era (his reign) is coming to an end, free of war in Japan," he said.

Akihito has used his speeches and travels to express his strong pacifist views, which are sharply at odds with the aggressive expansionism Japan pursued under his father's rule. 

Akihito has also worked to bring the royal household closer to the people and frequently visited the disadvantaged and families hit by natural disasters.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Princess Ayako marries commoner Kei Moriya, loses royal status

TOKYO - Princess Ayako, the youngest daughter of Emperor Akihito's late cousin, got married to commoner Kei Moriya on Monday at a wedding ceremony at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine.

The 28-year-old princess lost her royal status after her marriage to the 32-year-old employee of shipping company Nippon Yusen K.K. was legally registered following the ceremony.

Arriving at the shrine in traditional court clothing -- kimono robe and "hakama" skirt -- with her hair tied in the "osuberakashi" ancient style for noblewomen, the princess smiled at Moriya, who had been waiting for her in a morning suit.

The couple exchanged rings and read out the wedding oath during the Shinto ceremony attended by about 30 people including family members.

"How happy I am that many people have celebrated (our marriage). We want to make efforts to become a couple like my mother and father," the princess told reporters following the ceremony.

She also said her late father Prince Takamado, who died in 2002, "would have rejoiced at my marriage" if he were alive, adding the top hat Moriya was holding had been her father's.

Moriya said, "I want to support her firmly and hold hands to look forward and build a family full of smiles."

It was the first marriage involving an imperial family member since October 2014, when the princess' older sister Noriko, 30, married Kunimaro Senge, 45, a senior priest of Izumo Taisha, a Shinto shrine in Shimane Prefecture.

With the departure of Princess Ayako, the number of imperial family members will fall to 18 and that of female members to 13.

Emperor Akihito, 84, will also abdicate on April 30 next year after he signaled his wish to do so due to concern about his age and failing health. After retirement, he and Empress Michiko will not engage in public duties.

Hanako Takeda, a 27-year-old friend of the princess from her school days, said, "I was overwhelmed when I saw the bride and groom together as I remembered past times with the princess. I want her to create a bright family that can make everyone smile."

"I'm delighted at this happy occasion. Mr. Moriya looked cool, as he usually does. I hope they will make a wonderful couple," said Yasuyuki Goto, 33, a friend of Moriya.

The couple first met last December when they were introduced by Princess Ayako's mother Princess Hisako, who had long known Moriya's parents and met with the groom last November at a photo exhibition of a nonprofit organization supporting children in developing countries.

The widow of Prince Takamado was hoping to spark her daughter's interest in international welfare activities by meeting with Moriya, who is a board member of the nonprofit group Kokkyo Naki Kodomotachi (Children without Borders).

The princess' mother said in a statement she had raised her daughter to "prepare for the day when she stands up for herself" and hopes the couple "will build a good family full of joy and happiness."

On Tuesday, a banquet will be held at Hotel New Otani in Tokyo, attended by Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, the heads of the three branches of government as well as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will make a congratulatory speech.

The couple is not planning a honeymoon.

Princess Ayako graduated from Josai International University in Chiba Prefecture and earned a master's degree there in 2016. She is currently working as a research fellow in the university's Faculty of Social Work Studies.

Moriya went to kindergarten in Paris and attended schools in Switzerland and Britain before graduating from Tokyo's Keio University. He enjoys running in marathons and competing in triathlons.

Under the Imperial House Law, women lose their royal title after marrying a commoner, but the shrinking number of imperial family members has raised concerns about the stability of the imperial succession and how to alleviate the burden of performing public duties on the remaining members.

On Friday, Imperial Household Agency officials said the princess will retain honorary positions at two organizations even after leaving the imperial family, in what would be the first such instance.

Based on the law on imperial household finance, the princess will receive about 107 million yen ($950,000) from the state.

==Kyodo

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Emperor's heart bypass surgery successful, doctors report

TOKYO — Emperor Akihito underwent a successful four-hour heart bypass operation Saturday and hopefully should be fit to play tennis again, officials said amid lingering concerns over his declining health.

It was the first surgery for the 78-year-old emperor since 2003—when he had an operation for prostate cancer—after tests showed a narrowing of two of his coronary arteries.

His physicians, a team from the University of Tokyo hospital and the private Juntendo University, said the operation went without a hitch from the start at 11:01 a.m. until the end at 2:57 p.m.

The emperor was awake before he left the operating room at 3:55 p.m. for the intensive care unit.

His wife Empress Michiko and their daughter Sayako Kuroda, a former princess who left the royal household to marry a commoner, visited him about an hour after he came to the ICU and had a brief chat, the palace said.

He might be discharged in two weeks, his doctors said.

“The operation ended smoothly as planned,” Minoru Ono, surgeon at the University of Tokyo, told a news conference.

“His blood pressure is good. No bleeding is seen. His condition after the surgery is just as expected,” he said.

During his recuperation, Akihito’s first son Crown Prince Naruhito will handle official duties such as attending public ceremonies and meeting state guests.

The monarch arrived at the hospital on Friday morning accompanied by Michiko, who stayed with the emperor overnight.

Akihito walked to the operating room with his wife and daughter seeing him off at its entrance.

After his operation, the empress and Kuroda saw him briefly and rubbed his hand.

“I feel good,” the emperor told them, according to Ono.

More than 10,000 people flocked to the Imperial Palace on Saturday to sign books wishing him well at a special tent set up outside the palace gates.

Local press reports had earlier stressed the surgery was a routine procedure that thousands of Japanese undergo every year. But the surgery came amid increasing concerns about Akihito’s health.

A catheter angiogram taken a week ago showed that his arteries had continued to narrow since an examination a year ago, the palace said in a statement.

In November, Akihito, who acceded to the throne in 1989 following the death of his father Hirohito, spent 19 days in hospital with mild pneumonia and underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2003.

The palace will continue to consider ways to reduce Akihito’s duties, said Ichiro Kanazawa, the palace’s top medical supervisor.

“Fortunately, his heart has become better, so I am hoping that he will be able to play tennis again,” he said. “But as for his work, we have to think of his age, which is not getting younger.”

source: japantoday.com

Japanese Emperor Akihito to undergo heart surgery

REPORTING FROM SEOUL -- Japan is holding its collective breath as beloved Emperor Akihito is scheduled to undergo heart bypass surgery Saturday in Tokyo.

Officials from the so-called Imperial Household Agency said a medical team from the University of Tokyo Hospital decided to operate on the 78-year-old monarch after recent tests showed that Akihito's heart condition had grown worse over the last year.

The surgery will help ensure the emperor enjoys a relatively active life, officials said.

Akihito has suffered numerous health setbacks including surgery for prostate cancer in 2003 and stress-related health issues in late 2008. He is still seen at numerous events but has cut back on his ceremonial public duties, such as offering speeches and meeting foreign dignitaries.

Despite ancient dynastic roots, the monarchy has changed with the times, to a certain extent. No longer is the emperor regarded as a living god, as was the case for centuries. Still, Akihito is a much-revered figure.

Although Japan's modern-day tabloids sometimes strike a gossipy tone when talking about members of the current royal family -- aggressively dissecting Empress Michiko's stress-related ailments, or the failure of her daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Masako, to produce a male heir -- there is rarely, if ever, a disrespectful word uttered of Akihito.

Following last year’s deadly earthquake and tsunami, Akihito delivered an unprecedented imperial pep talks to his people in which he urged calm, perseverance and solidarity in "the difficult days that lie ahead."

Akihito assumed the throne in 1989 following the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito.

After the emperor spent nearly three weeks in the hospital in 2011, Prince Akishino, who is second in line to the throne, called for debate on a retirement age for the head of state.

Under Japan's 1947 Imperial House Law, the emperor is succeeded on his death by a male relative. Crown Prince Naruhito is first in line to the throne, followed by his younger brother.

source: latimes.com