Akihito

is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, Heisei being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. Born in 1933, Akihito is the first son of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun. During the Second World War, he moved out of Tokyo with his classmates, and remained in Nikkō until 1945. In 1952, his Coming-of-Age ceremony and investiture as crown prince were held, and he began to undertake official duties in his capacity as crown prince. The next year, he made his first journey overseas and represented Japan at the coronation of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom. He completed his university education in 1956. In 1959, he married Michiko Shōda, a Catholic; it was the first imperial wedding to be televised in Japan, drawing about 15 million viewers. The couple have three children: Naruhito, Fumihito, and Sayako. Upon the death of his father in 1989, Akihito succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne. His enthronement ceremony followed in 1990. He has made efforts to bring the imperial family closer to the Japanese people, and has made official visits to all forty-seven prefectures of Japan and to many of the remote islands of Japan. He has a keen interest in natural life and conservation, as well as Japanese and world history. Akihito abdicated in 2019, citing his advanced age and declining health, and assumed the title Emperor Emeritus. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Naruhito. A new era, Reiwa, was established then. At age , Akihito is the longest-lived verifiable Japanese emperor in recorded history. During Akihito's reign 17 prime ministers served, beginning with Noboru Takeshita and ending with Shinzo Abe. In Japan, during his reign, Akihito was never referred to by his own name, but instead as "His Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to "His Majesty". The era of Akihito's reign from 1989 to 2019 bore the era name Heisei, and according to custom he will be posthumously renamed Emperor Heisei as the 125th emperor of Japan by order of the Cabinet.