Emperor has long shown humanitarian side

Since ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne 20 years ago, Emperor Akihito has been committed to standing by disaster victims, disabled people, the elderly and war victims harmed by the former Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

Ringing in the year: Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko wave to well-wishers Friday at the Imperial Palace. KYODO PHOTO

Emperor Hirohito, known posthumously as Showa, died Jan. 7, 1989. As the eldest son, the current Emperor officially ascended the throne on Nov. 12, 1990.

On Jan. 31, 1995, he and Empress Michiko visited a gymnasium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, where survivors of the Great Hanshin Earthquake were taking shelter.

About two weeks after the disaster, which resulted in the loss of more than 6,400 lives, the Emperor, dressed in a sweater and windbreaker, told the devastated evacuees, "Please do not give up hope and hang in there," while kneeling on the cold floor of the gym and holding the hands of each survivor, together with the Empress.

There was criticism of the Imperial Couple for kneeling down before the public.

But the Emperor has said, "It is our important duty to care for disabled people, the elderly and disaster victims."

The Imperial Couple have visited facilities for the elderly and disabled during most of their visits around Japan.

They have visited every prefecture since the Emperor assumed the throne.

Another component of their work is "Imperial diplomacy," in which the Emperor and Empress have made 14 official overseas trips.

After assuming the throne in January 1989, the Emperor from September to October that year visited Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, countries invaded by Japan during World War II.

In October 1992, he became the first emperor to make an official visit to China.

During the visit, he touched on Japan's sensitive wartime past as an aggressor in a speech stating that he deeply deplored the "great sufferings" inflicted on the Chinese people by Japan before and during World War II.

Describing his feelings about his trip to Saipan in June 2005 to mourn the war dead, the Emperor said six months later that he was left "heavy-hearted as I thought of the severe combat 61 years ago."

He has not visited South Korea yet, but an aide said he "has a strong desire to visit" that nation.

The Emperor witnessed a Tokyo devastated by war when he was 11, when he returned from evacuation in Tochigi Prefecture three months after Japan surrendered.

As the Crown Prince, he highlighted "four days you have to memorize" — Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Aug. 15, when Japan accepted defeat in the war, and June 23, when the Battle of Okinawa is considered to have ended, all in 1945.

The Emperor and Empress reportedly still offer silent prayers on these days every year.

During their 2005 trip to Saipan, they visited "Banzai Cliff" and "Suicide Cliff," from which many civilians jumped to their death.

The Emperor and Empress stood at the top of the cliffs and prayed for the victims' souls.

The Emperor has also expressed hope that an accurate historical perception and peaceful way of life will be passed on to the next generation.

He said at a news conference in 2005, "I hope correct knowledge of the facts in the past history will be passed on to (future generations) and (what one has learned) will be applied in the future."

The Emperor, who turned 75 on Dec. 23, is expected to cut back on his duties and events on a temporary basis on the advice of his doctors.

He has been suffering bleeding in the stomach and other health problems possibly stemming from mental stress.