[Japan] Emperor Akihito expresses hopes for united rebuilding effort in New Year's greetings

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Sunday received New Year's greetings at the start of 2012 from other imperial family members and foreign ambassadors, while expressing hope in his New Year's message for cooperative and patient efforts to rebuild society after the nation was devastated by a series of natural disasters last year.

Among the well-wishers who extended congratulations to the emperor and the empress at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo were Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and about 200 ambassadors and their spouses.

photos found on twitter

"It is certainly a pleasure to celebrate the New Year together," the emperor said at the ceremony. "At the beginning of the year, I wish for the prosperity of the nation and happiness of the people."

In his New Year message to the Japanese people released earlier in the day, the emperor expressed hope that everyone will cooperate and make patient efforts to rebuild Japanese society after the country was hard hit in 2011 by calamities, such as the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster as well as torrential rains which ravaged parts of western Japan in September.

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Divisions deepen in the Japanese Royal [Imperial] court

The divisions are so sharp that Crown Princess Masako, pleading a cold, did not once visit the ailing Emperor Akihito, who turns 78 this month, as he lay for 19 days in the University of Tokyo hospital with bronchitis.

The estrangement between the emperor and the couple comes in the twilight of Akihito's reign and foreshadows profound changes in the ancient dynasty.

Long rumoured, but seldom confirmed, the troubles of the monarchy last week moved from the gossip pages of weekly magazines into the staid columns of Japan's most respected newspapers.

Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko

Supporters of the crown prince and princess, who both studied at Oxford, had hopes they would refresh the court with a modern, cosmopolitan touch - hopes that foundered on stony traditions.

Instead, Japan has endured the private anguish of its crown princess, who has been receiving psychological care for eight years and seldom appears at royal engagements. Masako was ostracised by courtiers when she tried to break with protocol, failed to produce a male heir to the throne and then went into seclusion after a nervous collapse.

The royal couple have a daughter, Aiko, 10, who cannot accede to the chrysanthemum throne under a rule barring women. Crown Prince Naruhito has defended his wife against criticism and this has led to an erosion of his stature in the eyes of the emperor and the rest of the family.

Instead, Prince Akishino, his younger brother, has advanced in favour as the father of the male heir to the throne, Prince Hisahito, now aged five. Hisahito's birth 12 years after his parents' last child ended parliamentary discussion of reforms to allow Aiko to succeed.

Now taboos are crumbling after the younger prince spoke publicly about the distance between the brothers.

"Unfortunately, we do not have the opportunity to interact on many occasions with the crown prince and princess," Akishino told a press conference to mark his 46th birthday.

He remarked the imperial grandchildren rarely saw each other, even though they all lived on the leafy Akasaka estate in central Tokyo. "There have only been a limited number of opportunities for our children to be together," Akishino said.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, a leading daily paper, his comments "give the impression that the crown prince and his family have become isolated within the entire imperial family".

It said the elderly emperor saw far more of little Hisahito, who is a passionate collector of insects, and joined him on expeditions in the imperial palace gardens.

"That may reflect a special bond towards Hisahito, who is the first and only grandson," the paper commented, adding: "The emperor and empress ... want to pass on the future to (Akishino's) children ... that is because they feel they can no longer depend on Masako, who rarely makes public appearances due to an 'adjustment disorder'."

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King and Queen of Bhutan end 6-day official visit to Japan

Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema left Japan after wrapping up their six-day visit as state guests Sunday.

Before leaving from Kansai International Airport in Osaka, the royal couple visited the Sento Imperial Palace in Kyoto and took a 30-minute walk in its garden, enjoying autumn colors and taking pictures of themselves in front of a pond.

The couple arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday and later met with Crown Prince Naruhito and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his wife. While attending a series of ceremonies including a state banquet, they also visited Fukushima Prefecture to encourage people affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the ensuing nuclear crisis triggered by the disaster.

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King Jigme of Bhutan and Queen Jetsun Pema's visit to Japan

Queen Jetsun of Bhutan and Princess Kiko

Her natural beauty and elegance and her colourful traditional outfits have helped Bhutan's Queen Jetsun Pema become the new fashion icon of the Orient.

And the 21-year-old royal, who has become an ambassador for the ethnic style of her tiny Himalayan state, did her people proud on an official visit to Japan.

Jesun and her husband King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck were welcomed to Toyko's Imperial Palace by Crown Prince Naruhito.

The prince was stepping in for his absent father, Emperor Akihito, who has been hospitalised with bronchitis symptoms.

Also at the welcome ceremony was Empress Michiko and her younger son Prince Akishimo and his wife Princess Kiko.

Naruhito's wife, Crown Princess Masako, who has been affected by a stress-induced illness, was absent.

At a banquet in the evening, Naruhito praised the couple's state, saying Japan could learn a lot from the way it was governed.

He was referring to Bhutan's gross national happiness index – which requires the government to measure citizens' contentment rather their material wealth.

King Jigme and his wife, who wed in an elaborate marriage ceremony last October, promised to spend their honeymoon working, and that's exactly what they've done.

Their Japan trip marks pilot's daughter Jetsun's second major trip overseas as queen after the couple visited India.

They are the first state visitors to be welcomed to Japan since the March earthquakes and tsunami.

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Queen Jetsun with Empress Michiko and King Jigme

With Crown Prince Naruhito

King Jigme of Bhutan's speech at the Diet in Japan

[When they were young] Beatrix when she was still a Princess with Akihito when he was not yet an Emperor

October 1979: Princess Beatrix, Prince Akihito, Queen Juliana, Princess Michiko and Prince Claus.

1 - Oh Bea, you didn't change a bit!

2 - I didn't know Prince Claus was that tall! Was he?

3 - Michiko was absolutely stunning! A true flower!

Queen Juliana abdicated six months after this photo. Beatrix became Queen at age 42. Akihito became Emperor nine years later, in 1989, at 54-years-old.

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[Japan] Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko marked the two-month anniversary of the March 11 disasters in simple fashion

Empress Michiko visits a devastated area on the two-month anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, with Emperor Akihito in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture on May 11.

Displaced residents in evacuation centers and relief workers in the battered towns of Tohoku gathered to observe a minute’s silence at 2:46 p.m., the moment when the country’s biggest-ever earthquake occurred two months earlier.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Fukushima prefecture Wednesday in their latest trip to the disaster zone to pass on messages of support. The country’s biggest daily paper, the broadsheet Yomiuri, printed an updated list of the names of those confirmed dead since April 8, the last time it published this list, which fills three pages with very small print.

With the news cycle having rolled on many times since Japan marked the one-month anniversary, international attention has inevitably shifted elsewhere, be it to civil protests in the Middle East, tornadoes in the southern U.S. or the killing of Osama bin Laden.

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[Japan] Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako meet villagers affected by nuclear crisis

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako meet the villagers evacuating from Fukushima prefecture, the state devastated by the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and radiation crisis, at a refugee center in Misato, Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, May 7, 2011.

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Who will be the next pregnant royal lady?

Well, as almost all royal houses have given us 15 years of lavish and emotional weddings, we have less and less people to get married and more and more couples we are waiting to see grow a family. Because this is what we expect from the royal peeps: find the amazing girl, give her the amazing ring, showcase it during an amazing engagement interview, tease us for months with an amazing wait and weight loss until the ceremony, throw an amazing wedding, go on an amazing honeymoon (not all of them, but most of them) and then... in a few months, get us in a frenetic and less amazing baby watching mood.

So here are the young (and not so young) couples we want to see get pregnant and have lovely babies with royal genes before 2015.

Non European Houses

Japan

I do not think "pregnancy" and "Japan" meshes well together. Let's leave Masako alone.

Jordan

With four kids, I have nothing to ask Queen Rania in this field. And I am not that familiar with all the other members of the Hashemite house.

Qatar

Sheikha Mozah has 7 kids (kids... cof cof... they are older than me) and - at least - 11 grandchildren. I think we are good there.

Saudi Arabia

Does that lovely princess I just discovered yesterday have children? Would love to know.

Non-reigning European Houses

Greece

Princess Marie-Chantal gave Crown Prince Pavlos five kids in 12 years and Princess Alexia has had four with Carlos Morales from 2002 to 2007. I think we are done here and God bless their souls. Now, you, Princess Tatiana, welcome to the family, hope you are enjoying it very much, solo with handsome Prince Nikolaos. But clock is ticking and you have at least four or five kids to deliver in the next ten years to keep up with the pace of the Greek Royal family. Do not fail on us. Little suggestion: start soon and you will be done by 2021.

Reigning European Houses

Belgium

Mathilde and Philippe have four children, amazing Astrid and Lorenz have five and younger prince Laurent did a 2 in 1 catch with his twin boys and has three children. I think that with 12 fresh and young grandchildren, King Albert II and Queen Paola can rest assured that their name will continue for several generation, Belgium existing as a united country or not.

Denmark

I do not know why, but I feel Mary and Frederik will have a fifth child. But not now. Maybe in six or seven years.

I am sure Prince Joachim is happy enjoying his three boys but Marie and him just got married three years ago, have a lot to live together and am sure they would love to have more children. So I guess, sooner than later, maybe in two or three years, Marie will make such an announcement and we'll have a fourth boy or a first girl for our beloved Joachim. Beckham style.

Liechtenstein

Hans-Adam is the head of the state but his son Alois is taking care of the house. The Liechtensteiners are a bit like the Greek: they go for the big numbers when we count the children. Hans-Adam himself, has four children. Alois, his first, has four. Maximilian has a 10-year-old boy, Constantin has three kids and Tatjana - let's breathe - has had 6 kids since year 2000. Oh Tatjana, God bless YOU! So... I do not see anyone expecting a new one anytime soon. But you know what they say, 7 is a very good and lucky and biblical number...

Luxembourg

To be pretty honest, the Luxembourgers are serious contenders for the "let's get them married" awards (need to write a POST) more than this post right here. Of course, we have precocious Prince Louis and wife, Princess Tessy who already started having children in their youth, but they are all pretty young and unmarried. Therefore, let's get Guillaume and Felix married quickly and come back to update this thread somewhere before 2015.

Monaco

Well, Charlene, I know you didn't even get married yet, but from July on, you have 15 months to get pregnant before PAII is forced to adopt Andrea as his successor. Ahhh... kidding, no pressure. But please, have babies. So that Albert can prove us he can introduce us to babies once they are born and not when they already walk or are on their way to college.

The Netherlands

Pfffffffffff.... I do not see anyone getting knocked up in here. Maxima, Laurentien and Mabel seem to be FINE just the way they are with their 3-3-2 strategy.

Norway

Mette-Marit and Märtha-Louise are busy. But I would see the first have a fourth one in less than five years. But I am less confident in this bet than on the one that Mary and Fred will go for a fifth.

Spain

Cristina already said no way Jose, she is fine with her quartet. Elena is divorced and Letizia... I do not see Letizia having more children. She lost the race with Mary - as they seemed to be in tremendous synchro in the first five years of their married life - but things changed now and we will have Leonor and Sofia FTW.

Sweden

VICTORIA VICTORIA VICTORIA.

United Kingdom

CATHERINE CATHERINE CATHERINE.

And Zara.

And Autumn. Bis.

Royal weddings from the past - Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko (1959)

On April 10th, 1959, then Crown Prince Akihito married Michiko Shōda, the eldest daughter of Hidesaburo Shōda, the president and later honorary chairman of Nisshin Flour Milling Company. The new Crown Princess was the first commoner to marry into the imperial family.

[Japan] Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visit tsunami affected area

JAPAN'S Emperor Akihito has toured a tsunami-hit port and ate fish fresh from the sea, despite fears over radiation.

Friday's event was the second time Akihito and Empress Michiko had visited an area directly hit by the March 11 quake and tsunami, which left some 27,000 people dead or missing along the Pacific coast northeast of Tokyo.

They plan to travel closer to the hardest-hit prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima in the coming weeks as the imperial family plays its constitutional role as a symbol of the nation's unity.

The 77-year-old emperor and his wife, 76, travelled to the city of Kitaibaraki, some 150 kilometres northeast of the capital, where five people died and another went missing in the disaster.

They offered a silent bow toward the sea when they were told at a fishing port that one fishery cooperative worker went missing when a breakwater collapsed, according to television footage.

"How many metres did the tsunami measure in height? What is the most difficult thing now?" they were heard asking officials.

The couple then visited a city gymnasium where about 40 evacuees were staying, talking to each of them.

Emperor Akihito consoled a 72-year-old man, whose wife had died at the centre, saying: "It was quite unfortunate. You must be missing her very much."

A 74-year-old man told the emperor: "I am staying here because I am scared of aftershocks," according to the daily Yomiuri. "I felt calm when I saw his majesty's face. Tears came to my eyes," it quoted him as saying.

Kitaibaraki's fishing port resumed operations Wednesday amid fears of pollution as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 70 kilometres to the north, continues leaking radiation into the air, sea and ground.

The emperor and empress were offered fried conger eels and flounders cooked in soy sauce, popular sea delights in Japan, for lunch at the port, Kitaibaraki mayor Minoru Toyoda told Japanese media.

The couple expressed concern over the area being harmed by rumours about radioactive pollution of fishery products, Toyoda said.

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[VIDEO] Top 10 Longest-Reigning Monarchs of the world

10 - JAPAN - Emperor Akihito (22 years of reign)
9 - SWAZILAND - King Mswati III (24 years) 
8 - THE NETHERLANDS - Queen Beatrix (30 years)
7 - SPAIN - King Juan Carlos I (35 years)
6 - SWEDEN - King Carl XVI Gustaf (37 years)
5 - DENMARK - Queen Margrethe (38 years)
4 - OMAN - Sultan Qaboos Bin Said (40 years)
3 - BRUNEI - Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (43 years)
2 - UNITED-KINGDOM - Queen Elizabeth II (59 years)
1 - THAILAND - King Bhumibol Adulyadej (64 years)

[Japan] Emperor Akihito visits tsunami-hit city

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Thursday visited Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, in their first trip to an area badly hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, to console local people.

The couple were briefed by Asahi Mayor Tadanao Akechi on the damage suffered by the city before visiting two shelters to offer moral support to people, many of whom lost their houses.

Asahi, located in the northeastern coastal area, suffered 13 fatalities and two people are still listed as missing. Some 900 houses were crushed or almost demolished.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Thursday visited Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, in their first trip to an area badly hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, to console local people.

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