Q: What is the role of the Imperial Family in Japan?
A: Under Japan’s
post-war Constitution, the emperor is merely a symbol of the state. He is a purely
ceremonial figure and has no political powers at all. He plays no role in the government
and can only perform those ceremonial acts which are listed in the Constitution. A few
examples are: awarding honours; meeting foreign diplomats, heads of state, or politicians;
and making occasional ceremonial speeches. Even then, he may only perform those actions if
the cabinet approves.
Q: Who is the present Emperor of Japan?
A: The present emperor
is H.I.M. Emperor Akihito. He is the 125th Emperor of Japan and was born in
1933 to Emperor Hirohito (or Showa) and
Empress Nagako. Emperor Akihito ascended the throne on January
7, 1989. He is married to Empress Michiko, and they have
three children, the eldest of whom is Crown Prince Naruhito.
Q: What is the Japanese Imperial Family's last name?
A: Unlike many European royal families (e.g., the Windsors), the Japanese Imperial Family
has no surname. As a result, when a woman marries into the family, she loses her last
name. In many instances, she is known by a feminized version of her husband’s first
name. Thus, Princess Kiko, the wife of the Emperor’s second son, Prince Akishino, is
sometimes known as Princess Akishino. The situation is analogous to that in Great Britain where, for example, the wife of
Prince Michael of Kent is known as
Princess Michael.
Q: How do you address the Imperial Family?
A: The Emperor and his consort, the Empress, are styled as their
Imperial Majesties. The Emperor’s mother is similarly styled and addressed. The
Emperor’s male children and their spouses are Imperial Highnesses. The Emperor’s female children are Imperial
Highnesses, unless they marry a commoner. (See below).
Q: Why do the Emperor's daughters or sisters lose their titles if
they marry a commoner?
A: The structure and size of the Imperial Family changed after WWII.
Before that time, there were numerous imperial princes and princesses, many of whom
belonged to cadet or collateral branches of the Imperial Family. After the war, the
occupying allies wanted to reduce the size of the Imperial Family, partly to limit the
amount of money that they would receive from the government. The result was the 1947
Imperial Household Law which narrowed the legal definition of the Imperial Family. Under
its terms, only the legitimate descendants of an emperor in the legitimate male line had
imperial status. The result was that only the immediate family of Emperor Hirohito (or Showa) and those of his three brothers had imperial
status. Everyone else, especially those in the junior, collateral branches of the Imperial
Family, would lose their imperial rank and become ordinary tax-paying citizens. Neither
they nor their children were part of the Imperial Family anymore. The 1947 Imperial
Household law also stated that any females who married outside of the family lost their
imperial rank; both they and their descendents would become tax-paying commoners without
any imperial privileges or rights.
Q: How long has the Imperial Family been on the throne? How did
Japan's Imperial Family start?
A: The Japanese Imperial Family is the longest
reigning dynasty in the world. The first known Emperor was Jimmu who lived from 660 B.C.
to 585 B.C. The Imperial Family is therefore approximately 2,600 years old.
Q: Is the Japanese Imperial Family very wealthy?
A: No. The Imperial Family has few private assets of
its own. After Japan’s defeat in
WWII, the occupying allies confiscated all of Emperor Hirohito’s property, assets and
money as punishment for Japan’s
actions during the war. It is said that the Imperial Family was worth billions before the
war. Now, the Imperial Family depends on an annual stipend which they receive from the
Imperial Household Agency (“IHA”) in an amount determined by the government.
Q: Is is true that the Emperor was considered to be
a God?
A: Yes. The Japanese believe that Emperor Jimmu
descended from the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, who created Japan. All subsequent Japanese emperors have claimed descent from Emperor Jimmu
and, as a result, they were revered as a living God. In 1946, Emperor Hirohito renounced
his divinity by publicly announcing, “I am no more divine. I am a human.
Q: How did Japan get its name "land of the rising
sun?"
A: Japan lies to the east of the European continent,
and beyond Japan lies the Pacific Ocean. When you look towards the east, Japan is in the direction of the sunrise. As a
result, the Japanese began to call their country Nihon
or Nippon, literally meaning “source of the sun.” In English, the term is often translated as “land
of the rising sun.”
Q. What does the Japanese flag mean?
A: Japan’s flag is called the Hinomaru in Japanese. It means “circle
of the sun.” It symbolized the sun rising in the sky and, as a result, is commonly
considered to be the flag of the rising sun. The
flag first appeared many centuries ago, perhaps as early as the 12th century.
In the early part of the 20th century, it was often seen as a symbol of
imperial power, militarism, and nationalistic expansion. In 1999, the Japanese government
officially adopted it as the country’s national flag.
Q. What is the Imperial Family's coat of arms? What is
Japan's national emblem?
A. The Japanese Imperial family does not have a coat of
arms or heraldic device like the European monarchies. It does, however, have a crest which
is the chrysanthemum and which is used on the cover of passports for Japanese citizens. Japan has no national emblem per se.
The Unofficial Japanese Imperial Family Pages
