Emperor Akihito’s Heisei Era of Compassionate Unity

Emperor’s Symbolic Role Beyond Political Power

Today, Emperor Emeritus Akihito (Jōkō, referring to a retired Emperor) was hospitalized at the University of Tokyo Hospital due to suspected myocardial ischemia. In Japan, the era name (gengō, 元号) changes with each emperor; the current era is “Reiwa,” but his era was called “Heisei,” lasting from January 8, 1989, to April 30, 2019. The Heisei era lasted 11,070 days, nearly 30 years, making it the fourth-longest reign among historical emperors. I was born in 1991, so I was literally born during the era of Emperor Akihito, and have spent the majority of my life within the Heisei period. Emperor Akihito abdicated during his lifetime, and now we are in the era of Emperor Naruhito. However, personally, I believe Emperor Akihito’s era was perhaps the most peaceful and stable period in the long history of Japanese emperors.

When people outside Japan think of the Japanese Emperor, they often associate him with the post-World War II era, viewing him as a purely symbolic figure without political power. However, the history of Japanese emperors is, in fact, deeply entangled with extremely complex political intrigues. Historically speaking, Japanese emperors have rarely held direct political authority; rather, their symbolic authority was utilized by influential political figures of each era. To those in power, emperors conveniently served as a façade behind which true political maneuvers could be hidden. From ancient times, emperors in Japan have been esteemed primarily as figures performing religious ceremonies or cultural symbols, rather than as wielders of military or political power. Their authority has typically remained nominal at best. Consequently, when the victorious Allied Powers after World War II decided to keep the emperor purely as a symbolic figure, the Japanese accepted this change with relatively little resistance, because, historically speaking, the emperor had almost never actually exercised genuine political authority.