Crown Prince Naruhito attended Oxford University in the mid-1980s
The Japanese government has unveiled the name of Japan’s next imperial era, ahead of the incumbent monarch’s historic abdication from the position.
Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend to the throne on 1 May, the day after his father, Emperor Akihito, steps down - the first emperor to abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne in 200 years.
Every emperor’s reign, or “gengo”, has a name, which is “used alongside the Western calendar to count years - so the choice is taken pretty seriously”, says the BBC.
Emperor Akihito’s era started in 1989 and is referred to as the Heisei period, so 2019 is also known as Heisei 31.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced that Naruhito’s reign will be the “Reiwa” era. The term is made up of the two Japanese characters Rei, which means “commands” or “order”, and Wa, meaning “harmony” or “peace”.
Although gengo names are “traditionally drawn from classical Chinese literature”, Reiwa “breaks a 1,300-year streak by coming from Japanese poetry, the seventh century collection Manyoshu”, The Independent reports.
“Over time, the gengo comes to symbolise the national mood of a period, similar to how ‘the 1960s’ evokes certain images,” says Reuters.
Regional experts told the news agency that the derivation and meaning of the gengo name chosen by the current government reflect Abe’s “conservative political agenda that emphasises national pride”.
Reiwa will be printed on calendars and coins and official documents beginning on 1 May.
Who is Naruhito?
Naruhito was born on 23 February 1960 in Tokyo and officially became crown prince following the death of his grandfather, Emperor Showa, in 1989.
Naruhito was the first member of the Japanese Imperial Family to study in England, according to specialist news site Royal Central.
To mark his rise to the throne, his first autobiography, The Thames and I, has been republished in English. The book covers his time as a postgraduate student at Merton College, Oxford, where he studied the historical use of the River Thames for transport.
Despite his royal title and status, the crown prince was “keen to absorb himself as much as possible into student life, even to living in a dormitory with other students”, the site adds.
According to The Japan Times, Naruhito harbours a “lifelong aspiration to emulate his parents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, whom he has lauded for their strong identification with the public”, and has “repeatedly voiced his vision of an ideal emperor - one who can ‘share the joys and sorrows of the people’ and always remain close to them in their thoughts”.
In 1993, he married Masako Owada, a “high-flying, Harvard-educated diplomat”, the newspaper adds. They have one child, Princess Aiko, now 17.
In addition to his royal duties, Naruhito is also an expert on water issues, a mountain climber and a viola player.
Quartz reports that he and his wife will be have big shoes to fill as the new heads of the imperial family.
“Akihito - who in his spare time conducts research on gobies [fish] - and his wife empress Michiko are deeply loved in Japan and are widely credited for their efforts in maintaining peace and in promoting better ties with neighbours such as China and South Korea, often in contrast to the conservative Abe government,” the news site says.
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