Naruhito << nah roo hee toh >> (1960-…) became emperor of Japan in 2019. He is the oldest son of Akihito, who was emperor from 1989 to 2019.
Naruhito was born in Tokyo on Feb. 23, 1960. In 1982, he graduated from Gakushuin University in Tokyo with a degree in history. He studied economic history at Oxford University in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980’s and received a master’s degree in history from Gakushuin in 1988. He became the heir to the imperial throne in 1989, after his grandfather Emperor Hirohito died and his father became emperor. Naruhito was formally named crown prince in 1991. In 1993, Naruhito married Masako Owada, a diplomat. Their daughter, Princess Aiko, was born in 2001. Japanese tradition and law require that the imperial ruler be male, so Naruhito’s younger brother, Fumihito, and Fumihito’s son, Hisahito, became next in line to assume the imperial throne.
In December 2017, Akihito announced that he would retire in 2019. He abdicated (gave up the throne) on April 30, 2019. Naruhito became emperor on May 1. His formal enthronement ceremony took place later that year, on October 22. Each Japanese emperor has an official reign name. Naruhito’s reign name is Reiwa << ray wah, >> which means beautiful harmony. Naruhito is known as the Reiwa Emperor. In November 2020, Fumihito was formally named crown prince.
