Japan’s Emperor and Empress Celebrate 30 Years Into Marriage
Japan’s Emperor and Empress celebrated 30 years into marriage on Friday. They said they felt “deeply emotional” as they thought about their marriage and thanked the people for their love and support.
“We are deeply grateful for having been able to experience many things together and come this far by helping each other and sharing joys and sorrows while receiving support from many people,” the couple shared.
The Emperor (63 years old) got crowned in 2019 and began a new imperial era. The empress has reached the age of 59 but suffers from mental health issues. They have given birth to a single daughter, Princess Aiko, who is now 21.
Most of their time as the Emperor and empress coincided with the coronavirus outbreak. They have vowed to adhere to their tenet of standing up to the citizens by reiterating it in their recent announcement.
They both said that they would remain convinced that it is vital that the family of the Imperials “share the people’s sorrows and joys.”
The empress said she felt touched by his words: “I will protect you with all my might for my entire life.”
They welcomed Princess Aiko in December 2001 after a miscarriage earlier in the year. The princess, crowned her first child, crying after the birth, stated that she felt overwhelmed by gratitude.
Princess Aiko is a fourth-year student pursuing Japanese literary studies at Gakushuin University in Tokyo. The princess has been able to fulfil her duties as an adult of the family of the Imperials after turning 20.
Even though she was the mother of a princess, the empress endured constant pressure to bear a prince because she was bound by the Imperial House Law limiting heirs to males. As a result, she started receiving treatment for mental and physical condition in late 2003.
The Imperial Household Agency oversees matters about the Imperial family. In 2004, the agency revealed that she was diagnosed 2004 with a stress-related “adjustment disorder.”
The empress is still struggling with the illness, with doctors saying last December that even though she’s recovering, her health is not stable, and she could require a timeout to recover after a significant or repeated series of.
Some comments were made about his wife’s frustration of having her hopes shattered of significantly contributing to improving relationships between Japan and other nations as she assumed her new position.
Through the years, the empress slowly increased her appearances in the public eye and visited evacuation canters for people impacted by the March earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan’s northeast. After 11 years, she finally went to the Netherlands for an official visit in 2013.
The Emperor was seated on his Chrysanthemum Throne day of May 1st, 2019, to usher into the Reiwa period of the imperial era and the empress’s reign; concerns were raised that she might have been over-exerting herself by performing the new responsibilities as an empress.
However, she was present at important events connected to the coronation. She greeted her husband, the couple’s first official guests-U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife in May 2019 while reminding the nation of her ability to speak English and her international experience.
However, with the pandemic easing off, other official functions have been carried out in person in recent times. The first time they have done so since their inauguration in 2011, the couple travelled together to pay tribute to those who died in the natural catastrophe of March by making a trip to the Iwate Prefecture in early June.
In March, the queen attended an imperial garden party after four and a half years. She also attended a Japanese Red Cross Society meeting as the organization’s honorary president, a position she received from her mother-in-law, the former Empress Michiko.
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