The Imperial House of Japan is the oldest current monarchy. The Japanese throne was founded in 660 BCE according to legend. While the Japanese monarchy does function in the same ways as many other monarchies, they use a unique naming system.
Emperor Mutsuhito took the throne in 1867 and instituted a new practice for naming eras in 1868. Historically, era names would have been decided by court…
Emperor Akihito is marking his 90th birthday on December 23rd 2023. He took the throne upon the death of his father, Emperor Shōwa, on 7 January 1989 and abdicated in 2018.
Let’s take a look at Emperor Akihito’s life in photos:
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While there are several monarchies that date back over one thousand years, there is one throne that dates back over two thousand years. The Japanese monarchy, also known as the Chrysanthemum Throne, was officially founded in 440 BCE.
The Japanese monarchy is the…
Japan may be the oldest continually hereditary monarchy in the world, but it has one of the smallest lines of succession.
The line of succession is limited to males only through the Imperial Household Law. Only direct-line males may succeed to the throne.
It is discussed in Chapter 1: Article 1 of the Imperial Household Law of 1947: “The Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by a male…
YEAR IN REVIEW: Threats, health scares, and new beginnings for the Japanese Imperial Family in 2022
28th December 2022
The Japanese Imperial Family has had its share of threats and health scares throughout 2022. However, the year was also one for new beginnings.
The year started with Emperor Naruhito’s in-person New Year greetings being cancelled again due to the ongoing global…
Crown Prince of Japan thinks Imperial Household should communicate better with public
4th December 2022
The Japanese Crown Prince has made strong statements regarding the Imperial Household and their communication with the public.
Crown Prince Fumihito made comments this past week at a press conference to mark his 57th birthday that the Imperial Household must become…
The grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo are open for the first time in three years.
People are now able to view the autumn foliage at the Japanese palace after a section of the grounds was reopened to the public. The first people entered on Saturday, 26 November, around 9 am.
They strolled along the 600-metre walkway where 70 maple trees of eight different varieties line the road.
The future Emperor of Japan has celebrated his Sweet 16.
Prince Hisahito of Akishino turned 16 on Tuesday, 6 September.
Hisahito currently attends Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba, where he is in his first year. After the school year began in…
Japan’s Princess Kako of Akishino is the latest royal to join the ranks of Scout enthusiasts as she has recently visited the Girls’ Scout camp in Nagano.
The Princess’s visit was to mark the 100th anniversary of the Japanese Scout movement’s…
Arguably, the most popular monarchies in the world sit on the European continent, but Europe only contains 12 of the world’s 43 monarchies. So, what other countries have a monarch? Royal Central takes a look.
Asia, the largest continent, hosts the most countries with monarchies; 13 countries in Asia have a ruling family. They are Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait…
