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Akihito (明仁?, born 23 December 1933), known in retirement as Joko (平成) or Emperor Emeritus, was the 125th Emperor of Japan (天皇 tennō?) according to Japan's traditional order of succession. Akihito ascended the throne in 1989 upon the death of his father, Hirohito, Emperor Showa. He will be known as Emperor Heisei upon his death.
During the U.S. occupation of Japan after World War II, Crown Prince Akihito received an education in the English language and Western customs. Like his father, Akihito has a degree in marine biology, and has published several papers.
In the Summer of 2016, Akihito began publicly implying that he intended to abdicate due to failing health. To avoid a constitutional crisis, the Japanese parliament enacted legislation in June 2017 to allow Akihito to abdicate. In December 2017, it was announced that Akihito would abdicate in favor of his son Naruhito on 30 April 2019. On that date he took on the status of Emperor Emeritus.
Akihito in Joe Steele[]
Constitutional Emperor Akihito
Despite his youth, the 12-year-old Akihito was proclaimed Emperor of the Constitutional Monarchy of Japan ("South Japan") by the United States after the death of his father Hirohito in Spring 1946. In truth, it was the U.S. military who actually ran the country under General Dwight D. Eisenhower.[1]
Akihito's subjects resented this state of affairs. Flyers depicting Akihito as a ventriloquist's dummy in Eisenhower's lap were posted by Japanese citizens, despite their illegality.[2]
Akihito's reign coincided with the Japanese War (1948-49), in which his nominal subjects did not acquit themselves against their former countrymen from the north. Ultimately, it was the U.S. that kept Akihito on his throne.[3]
Literary comment[]
Akihito and the Constitutional Monarchy are not mentioned in the short story, where the government of South Japan is undefined.
See also[]
- The Emperor of Japan, a minor character in In the Presence of Mine Enemies, whose reign includes 2010-2011.
- Akihito at The Man in the High Castle wiki.
References[]
- ↑ Joe Steele, pg. 325, HC.
- ↑ Ibid., pg. 337.
- ↑ Ibid., pg. 364.
| Royal offices (OTL) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hirohito, Emperor Showa |
Emperor of Japan 1989-2019 |
Succeeded by Naruhito, Emperor Reiwa |
| Royal offices (Joe Steele) | ||
| Preceded by Hirohito as Emperor of Japan |
Emperor of the Constitutional Monarchy of Japan 1946-???? |
Succeeded by Incumbent at novel's end, 1953 |
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