Name Date rule Date rule Born Died

began ended

Yamato dynasty

Mutsuhito (Meiji-tenno) Jan. 9, 1867 July 30, 1912 1852 1912

Yoshihito (Taisho-tenno) July 30, 1912 Nov. 25, 1921 1879 1926

Prince Hirohito (regent) Nov. 25, 1921 Dec. 25, 1926 1901 1989

Hirohito (Showa-tenno) Dec. 25, 1926 Jan. 7, 1989 1901 1989

Akihito Jan. 7, 1989 1933

Prime minister

Duke Aritomo Yamagata Nov. 8, 1898 Oct. 10, 1900 1838 1922

Duke Hirobumi Ito Oct. 10, 1900 June 2, 1901 1841 1909

Duke Taro Katsura June 2, 1901 Jan. 7, 1906 1847 1913

Duke Kimmochi Saionji Jan. 7, 1906 July 14, 1908 1850 1940

Duke Taro Katsura July 14, 1908 Aug. 30. 1911

Duke Kimmochi Saionji Aug. 30, 1911 Dec. 19, 1912

Duke Taro Katsura Dec. 19, 1912 Feb. 12, 1913

Count Gombei Yamamoto Feb. 12, 1913 Apr. 15, 1914 1852 1933

Duke Shigenobu Okuma Apr. 15, 1914 Oct. 9, 1916 1838 1922
Count Masatake Terauchi Oct. 9, 1916 Sept. 29, 1918 1849 1919

Takashi Hara Sept. 29, 1918 Nov. 4, 1921 1856 1921

Korekiyo Takahashi Nov. 13, 1921 June 12, 1922 1854 1936

Tomosaburo Kato June 12, 1922 Aug. 24, 1923 1859 1923

Yasuya Uchida (acting) Aug. 26, 1923 Sept. 12, 1923 1865 1936

Count Gombei Yamamoto Sept. 12, 1923 Jan. 5, 1924

Viscount Keigo Kiyoura Jan. 5, 1924 June 11, 1924 1850 1942

Baron Takaaki Kato (from 1925, Count Takaaki June 11, 1924 Jan. 27, 1926 1860 1926
Kato)

Reijiro Wakatsuki Jan. 30, 1926 Apr. 19, 1927 1866 1949

Baron Giichi Tanaka Apr. 19, 1927 July 2, 1929 1863 1929

Osachi Hamaguchi July 2, 1929 Apr. 14, 1931 1870 1931

Reijiro Wakatsuki Apr. 14, 1931 Dec. 13, 1931

Tsuyoshi Inukai Dec. 13, 1931 May 16, 1932 1855 1932

Korekiyo Takahashi (acting) May 16, 1932 May 26, 1932

Viscount Makoto Saito May 26, 1932 July 8, 1934 1858 1936

Keisuke Okada July 8, 1934 March 9, 1936 1862 1952

Koki Hirota March 9, 1936 Feb. 2, 1937 1878 1948

Senjuro Hayashi Feb. 2, 1937 June 2, 1937 1876 1943

Prince Fumimaro Konoye June 2, 1937 Jan. 4, 1939 1891 1945

Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma Jan. 4, 1939 Aug. 29, 1939 1865 1952

Nobuyuki Abe Aug. 29, 1939 Jan. 15, 1940 1875 1953

Mitsumasa Yonai Jan. 15, 1940 July 21, 1940 1880 1948

Prince Fumimaro Konoe July 21, 1940 Oct. 18, 1941

Hideki Tojo Oct. 18, 1941 July 22, 1944 1884 1948

Kuniaki Koiso July 22, 1944 Apr. 7, 1945 1880 1950

Baron Kantaro Suzuki Apr. 7, 1945 Aug. 16, 1945 1867 1948

Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni Aug. 16, 1945 Oct. 8, 1945 1887 1990

Baron Kijuro Shidehara Oct. 8, 1945 May 20, 1946 1872 1951

Shigeru Yoshida May 20, 1946 May 21, 1947 1878 1967

Tetsu Katayama May 21, 1947 Feb. 23, 1948 1887 1978

Hitoshi Ashida Feb. 23, 1948 Oct. 15, 1948 1887 1959

Shigeru Yoshida Oct. 15, 1948 Dec. 10, 1954

Ichiro Hatoyama Dec. 10, 1954 Dec. 23, 1956 1883 1959

Tanzan Ishibashi Dec. 23, 1956 Feb. 24, 1957 1885 1973

Nobusuke Kishi Feb. 24, 1957 July 18, 1960 1896 1987

Hayato Ikeda July 18, 1960 Nov. 9, 1964 1899 1965

Eisaku Sato Nov. 9, 1964 July 6, 1972 1901 1975

Kakuei Tanaka July 6, 1972 Dec. 9, 1974 1918 1993

Takeo Miki Dec. 9, 1974 Dec. 24, 1976 1907 1988

Takeo Fukuda Dec. 24, 1976 Dec. 7, 1978 1905 1995

Masayoshi Ohira Dec. 7, 1978 June 12, 1980 1910 1980

Masayoshi Ito (acting) June 12, 1980 July 17, 1980 1913 1994

Zenko Suzuki July 17, 1980 Nov. 26, 1982 1911

Yasuhiro Nakasone Nov. 26, 1982 Nov. 6, 1987 1918

Noboru Takeshita Nov. 6, 1987 June 2, 1989 1924

Sosuke Uno June 2, 1989 Aug. 9, 1989 1922 1998

Toshiki Kaifu Aug. 2, 1989 Nov. 6, 1991 1931

Kiichi Miyazawa Nov. 6, 1991 Aug. 9, 1993 1919

Morihiro Hosokawa Aug. 9. 1993 Apr. 25, 1994 1938

Tsutomu Hata Apr. 25, 1994 June 29, 1994 1935

Tomiichi Murayama June 29, 1994 Jan. 11, 1996 1924

Ryutaro Hashimoto Jan. 11, 1996 July 30, 1998 1937

Keizo Obuchi July 30, 1998 April 5, 2000 1937 2000

Yoshiro Mori April 5, 2000 April 26, 2001 1937

Junichiro Koizumi April 5, 2001 Sept. 26, 2006 1942

Shinzo Abe Sept. 26, 2006 Sept. 26, 2007 1954

Yasuo Fukuda Sept. 26, 2007 Sept. 24, 2008 1936

Taro Aso Sept. 24, 2008 Sept. 16, 2009 1940

Yukio Hatoyama Sept. 16, 2009 June 8, 2010 1947

Naoto Kan June 8, 2010 Sept. 2, 2011 1946

Yoshihiko Noda Sept. 2, 2011 Dec. 26, 2012 1957

Shinzo Abe Dec. 26, 2012 1954

Naruhito
emperor of Japan
Alternate titles: Hironomiya Naruhito

Naruhito, original name Hironomiya Naruhito, (born February 23, 1960, Tokyo,

Japan), emperor of Japan from 2019. He is Japan’s 126th emperor, and, according to
tradition, traces his lineage directly to Jimmu, the legendary first emperor of Japan.

At birth, Naruhito became heir presumptive to the Japanese imperial throne, being the
eldest son of Akihito, then the crown prince, and his wife, Michiko, and grandson of the
emperor Hirohito. His status was elevated to that of crown prince in 1989 (formally
invested on February 23, 1991), following the death of his grandfather and the ascension
of his father to the throne.

Naruhito was raised in the imperial palace in central Tokyo and attended Gakushuin

University in the city, graduating in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He
enrolled in a graduate program at Gakushuin but interrupted his studies to spend two
years (1983–85) in England researching marine transportation at Merton
College, Oxford. Naruhito was the first heir to the Japanese throne to study abroad, and,
in addition to pursuing his schoolwork, he was exposed to such ordinary activities as
doing his own laundry and using a credit card. Upon returning to Japan, he completed
part of a doctoral program in Japanese history at Gakushuin in 1988. He maintained
ties with the university, becoming a guest researcher in 1992 and teaching the occasional
class there.

Naruhito first met Owada Masako, his future bride, in 1986. He reportedly was quickly
attracted to her, but she hesitated at engaging in a courtship. At that time Owada, a
commoner, was a diplomat with the government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and she
was reluctant to give up her successful career. She finally accepted the now-crown
prince’s proposal in late 1992, and the two were married in June 1993 in a highly
publicized ceremony that was broadcast worldwide. The couple’s one child, Princess
Aiko, was born in 2001.

Masako
empress of Japan
Alternate titles: Masako Owada

Masako, original name Owada Masako, (born December 9, 1963, Tokyo, Japan),

Japanese diplomat who became the crown princess of Japan when she married Crown
Prince Naruhito in 1993. She became empress of Japan in May 2019.

Owada Masako was the daughter of Owada Hisashi, a high-ranking official of the
Japanese government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a child she lived in the Soviet
Union and in the United States, where her father was on diplomatic missions. In 1985
she graduated from Harvard University with a major in economics, and the following
year she enrolled at the University of Tokyo. Having passed the diplomatic service test,
she left school and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987. In 1988 the ministry
sent her to study at Balliol College, Oxford. Owada returned in 1990, and, as a junior
diplomat, she worked long hours, compiling briefing papers on trade issues and
translating documents. By the time she became engaged, Owada had won wide respect
for the depth of her knowledge on highly technical matters and for her skills as a
diplomat who could speak several languages.

When Naruhito and Owada met for the first time—in 1986 at a tea party—the prince was
favourably impressed. Owada, however, was reportedly not interested in courtship. By
that time, women had achieved an unprecedented level of freedom in Japan, which
Owada would lose by marrying. In addition, she would have to give up her successful
diplomatic career for life in the imperial household, where the emperor’s family, by
tradition, lacked both privacy and autonomy. It was not until December 1992 that
Owada finally accepted Naruhito’s proposal.

Naruhito (who by then was crown prince) had persuaded his bride-to-be that her duties
would be largely diplomatic in nature; he also had promised to protect her for her entire
life. The idea of protecting was widely interpreted to mean that he was determined to
guard her from the traditional and rigid ways of the Imperial Household Agency
courtiers. The newlyweds were expected to accelerate the transition to an imperial
family that was more relaxed and accessible. Moreover, they were well prepared to take
advantage of the experience they had in the world beyond the palace walls.

Their much-anticipated wedding took place on June 9, 1993, in Tokyo,

amid worldwide media attention. Naruhito had followed in the footsteps of his father,
the emperor Akihito, by marrying a commoner. The couple made some trips abroad
together in the first years of their marriage. However, expectations mounted through the
1990s for them to give birth to a son (as, by Japanese law, only a male could succeed
Naruhito), and Masako largely stopped traveling. She had a miscarriage in 1999, and
then a daughter, Princess Aiko, was born in 2001. This only increased the urgency for a
son, especially as the crown princess entered her 40s. In addition to curtailing her
travels, Masako was now seen less frequently in public, and by 2004 she was reported to
be afflicted by a stress-related health disorder. She did not have another child, but the
birth of a son to Prince Akishino (Naruhito’s younger brother) and his wife in 2006
resolved the succession issue. Subsequently, her health was reported to have improved.

In 2016 Akihito delivered a televised address in which he announced his desire to give
up the throne, and in 2017 the Diet amended the Imperial Household Law to codify that
process. Lawmakers added a supplementary resolution to consider the role of women in
the imperial household, as current law stripped women of their imperial status if they
married a commoner. This prevented the establishment of female-led branches in a
royal house that had already faced public struggles on matters of
succession. Conservative lawmakers strongly opposed such changes, which they argued
paved the way for a woman to sit on the throne, while proponents noted that Japan had
been ruled by numerous empresses and that patrilineality dated only to the Meiji period.
On April 30, 2019, Akihito formally abdicated, and at midnight on May 1 Naruhito
became the 126th emperor of Japan. According to the Imperial Household Law, neither
Masako nor the other women of the imperial household were allowed to be present at
the ceremony where Naruhito formally accepted the regalia of office.

The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan.

Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and
the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the will of the people
with whom resides sovereign power". [1] Imperial Household Law governs the line
of imperial succession. The emperor is immune from prosecution by the Supreme Court
of Japan.[2] He is also the head of the Shinto religion. In Japanese, the emperor is
called Tennō ( 天 皇 , pronounced [tennoꜜː]), literally "Emperor of God" or "Heavenly
Sovereign".[3] The Japanese Shinto religion holds him to be the direct descendant of the
solar goddess Amaterasu. The emperor is also the head of all national Japanese orders,
decorations, medals, and awards. In English, the use of the term Mikado (帝／御門) for
the emperor was once common but is now considered obsolete. [4]
Currently, the emperor of Japan is the only remaining head of state in the world with
the monarchical title of "Emperor".[5] The Imperial House of Japan is the oldest in the
world.[6] The historical origins of the emperors lie in the late Kofun period of the 3rd–
6th centuries AD, but according to the traditional account of the Kojiki (finished 712)
and Nihon Shoki (finished 720), Japan was founded in 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu, who
was said to be a direct descendant of Amaterasu.[7][8]
The role of the emperor of Japan has historically alternated between a largely
ceremonial symbolic role and that of an actual imperial ruler. Since the establishment of
the first shogunate in 1199, the Emperors of Japan have rarely taken on a role as
supreme battlefield commander, unlike many Western monarchs. Japanese emperors
have nearly always been controlled by external political forces, to varying degrees. For
example, between 1192 and 1867, the shōguns, or their shikken regents
in Kamakura (1203–1333), were the de facto rulers of Japan, although they were
nominally appointed by the emperor. After the Meiji Restoration in 1867, the emperor
was the embodiment of all sovereign power in the realm, as enshrined in the Meiji
Constitution of 1889. Since the enactment of the 1947 constitution, the role of emperor
has been relegated to that of a ceremonial head of state without even nominal political
powers.
Since the mid-nineteenth century, the Imperial Palace has been called Kyūjō ( 宮 城 ),
later Kōkyo ( 皇 居 ), and is on the former site of Edo Castle in the heart of Tokyo (the
current capital of Japan). Earlier, emperors resided in Kyoto (the ancient capital) for
nearly eleven centuries. The Emperor's Birthday (currently 23 February) is a national
holiday.
Naruhito is the current emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum
Throne upon the abdication of his father Emperor Akihito on 1 May 2019.