The Current Japanese Emperor Is His Grandson

Japan's reigning emperor at the moment is Naruhito. After his father, Akihito, abdicated the throne on May 1, 2019, he took the throne, ushering in the Reiwa era. According to Japan's conventional sequence of succession, he is the 126th monarch. The changeover happened at midnight. On the morning of May 1, a ceremony was held to formally establish Naruhito as the next emperor. In his inaugural speech as emperor, he vowed to seriously consider the path his father had taken and to uphold his constitutional duties as "the emblem of the state and of the unity of the people of Japan." He is the complete antithesis of his brave military leader grandfather. Naruhito is more concerned than any other emperor with global warming and access to clean water. He also happens to be the last emperor still alive.

Naruhito's position is only described as ceremonial and representative under Article 4 of the Constitution, and he is not permitted to express any political views. His duty is restricted to carrying out governmental functions as defined by the Constitution, and even then, he is held to its requirements as well as the Cabinet's legally-binding recommendations. He must name the person the National Diet designated even though he technically appoints the Prime Minister. That's all about the sixth fact about Emperor Hirohito.