The Emperor was born on Dec. 23, 1933, the eldest son of Emperor Showa.
Graduating from Gakushuin Primary, Junior High and Senior High schools, he enrolled in Gakushuin University's politics and economics department in 1952.
As then Crown Prince Akihito, he served as honorary president of the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics, the Japan World Exposition 1970 in Osaka Prefecture and the marine-themed World Expo in Okinawa Prefecture in 1975, among others.
He became the 125th emperor following the demise of Emperor Showa on Jan. 7, 1989.
At times of large-scale disasters including the Great Hanshin Earthquake and Great East Japan Earthquake, the Emperor visited afflicted areas to encourage the victims.
He also visited former battlefields in and outside of Japan, including in Okinawa Prefecture and on the U.S. island of Saipan, to console the souls of the war dead.
On Aug. 8, 2016, the Emperor made an announcement by which he indicated a desire to abdicate the throne, based on the anticipation that it would become difficult for him to perform public acts energetically in the future due to his age.
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