Empress Emerita Michiko in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on October 9. (Courtesy of the Imperial Household Agency).
Empress Emerita Michiko turned 91 on October 20. To mark the occasion, the Imperial Household Agency released photos showing her smiling and conversing warmly with Emperor Emeritus Akihito at their home, the Sento Imperial Residence, located within the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
Reflections on the Past Year
The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Empress Emerita Michiko and Emperor Emeritus Akihito reflected on the journeys they made during his reign to former battlefields and areas affected by the atomic bombings to honor those who lost their lives in the war.
In connection with the anniversary, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Iwo Jima in Tokyo's Ogasawara Village and Okinawa, both sites of fierce fighting. They also paid their respects in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the cities devastated by the atomic bombings. The Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita quietly watched over their visits and, as in previous years, offered silent prayers.
The Empress Emerita fractured her right thigh bone in October 2024 but has almost fully recovered, the agency said. With support from her medical staff, she continues rehabilitation at the Sento Imperial Residence and within the Akasaka Estate to maintain her strength.
Prince Hisahito's coming-of-age ceremony was held in September. He is the son of Crown Prince Akishino (Fumihito) and Crown Princess Kiko. The Empress Emerita watched the event on television and was delighted by how much the prince had grown when he later visited her to offer his greetings.
Supporting the Emperor Emeritus
Empress Emerita Michiko continues to follow current affairs closely, reading newspapers and enjoying books across a wide range of fields. Recently, after reading about it in a newspaper article, she picked up the picture book Nour's Secret Library.
She and the Emperor Emeritus also maintain their morning routine of reading aloud after breakfast, currently choosing selections from Ichinichi, Koten ("One Day, One Classic"). In January, a collection of 466 previously unpublished tanka poems by the Empress Emerita, titled Yufusuge, was released.
This year, the Empress Emerita has devoted herself to supporting the Emperor Emeritus during his hospitalizations for heart treatment. While taking care of their health, the couple visited Kasai Rinkai Park in Tokyo in February to view daffodils and attended an exhibition at the Gakushuin Museum in April.
In August, they rested in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, where they visited a monument inscribed with a poem by Emperor Showa (Hirohito) and took a stroll hand in hand through cabbage fields, observing the growing crops.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
