Japanese Emperors

Emperor Naruhito
Current Japanese Emperor

The Emperor of Japan is the head of the Imperial Family and is the ceremonial head of the state of Japan's system of constitutional monarchy. According to the 1947 constitution, he is "the symbol of the State and the unity of the people."

Historically, he is also the highest authority of the Shinto religion as he and his family are said to be the direct descendants of the sun-goddess Amaterasu. His importance also lies in dealing with heavenly affairs, including Shinto rituals and national rites.

In Japanese, the Emperor is called Tennō (天皇), which means "heavenly sovereign". In English, the term Mikado (帝) for the Emperor was once daily but is now considered obsolete.

Currently, the Emperor of Japan is the only remaining monarch in the world reigning under the title of "Emperor". The Imperial House of Japan is the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world.

In Kojiki or Nihon Shoki, a book of Japanese history finished in the eighth century; it is said that Japan was founded in 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu. The current Emperor is Akihito, who has been on the Chrysanthemum Throne since he was crowned after his father, Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), died in 1989.

The role of the Emperor of Japan has historically alternated between a largely ceremonial symbolic role and that of an actual imperial ruler. Since the establishment of the first shogunate in 1192, the Emperors of Japan have rarely taken on the role of supreme battlefield commander, unlike many Western monarchs. External political forces have nearly always controlled Japanese Emperors to varying degrees.

In fact, from 1192 to 1867, the shoguns, or their shikken regents in Kamakura (1203–1333), were the de facto rulers of Japan, although they were nominally appointed by the Emperor. After the Meiji restoration in 1867, the Emperor embodied all sovereign power in the realm, as enshrined in the Meiji Constitution of 1889. His current status as a figurehead dates from the 1947 Constitution.

Since the mid-nineteenth century, the Imperial Palace has been called Kyūjō (宮城), then Kōkyo (皇居), and is located on the former site of Edo Castle in the heart of Tokyo. Earlier, Emperors resided in Kyoto for nearly eleven centuries.

Unlike most constitutional monarchies, the Emperor is not even the nominal Chief Executive and possesses only certain necessary ceremonial powers. The Constitution states that the Emperor "shall perform only such acts in matters of state as are provided for in the Constitution, and he shall not have powers related to government" (article 4).

It also stipulates that "the advice and approval of the Cabinet shall be required for all acts of the Emperor in matters of state" (article 3). Article 4 also states that the Emperor can delegate these duties as provided by law. Article 65 explicitly vests executive power in the Cabinet, of which the Prime Minister is the leader. The Emperor is also not the (ceremonial) commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The Japan Self-Defense Forces Act of 1954 also explicitly vests this role with the Prime Minister.

While the Emperor formally appoints the Prime Minister to office, article 6 of the constitution requires him to appoint the candidate "as designated by the Diet" without any right to decline the appointment.

Article 6 of the Constitution delegates the Emperor the following ceremonial roles:

1. Appointment of the Prime Minister as designated by the Diet.
2. Appointment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as designated by the Cabinet.

The Emperor's other duties are laid down in Article 7 of the Constitution, where it is stated that the "Emperor, with the advice and approval of the Cabinet, shall perform the following acts in matters of state on behalf of the people":

1. Promulgation of amendments to the constitution, laws, cabinet orders, and treaties.
2. Conference of the Diet.
3. Dissolution of the House of Representatives.
4. Proclamation of general election of members of the Diet.
5. Attestation of the appointment and dismissal of Ministers of State and other officials as provided for by law and of full powers and credentials of Ambassadors and Ministers.
6. Attestation of general and special amnesty, commutation of punishment, reprieve, and restoration of rights.
7. Awarding of honours.
8. Attestation of instruments of ratification and other diplomatic documents as provided by law.
9. They are receiving foreign ambassadors and ministers.
10. Performance of ceremonial functions.

Regular ceremonies of the Emperor with a constitutional basis are the Imperial Investitures in the Imperial Palace and the Speech from the Throne ceremony in the House of Councillors in the National Diet Building. The latter ceremony opens ordinary and extra sessions of the Diet. Ordinary sessions are opened this way each January and after new elections to the House of Representatives. Extra sessions usually convene in the autumn and are open then.

List of Japanese Emperors