TOKYO 23 December 2008 Japan celebrates Emperor Akihito's 75th birthday

Emperor Akihito, the scion of the oldest imperial family in the world and 125th direct descendant of Jimmu, Japan’s legendary first emperor, turns 75. The birthday, which is celebrated each year as a national holiday, falls just days before another Akihito anniversary: Jan 7 marks the 20th anniversary of his informal accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Together, the 75th birthday and the emperor's health problems could return Japan's succession crisis to Page 1 in Japan.

Though Akihito became emperor in 1989, after the death of his father, he was not formally enthroned on 12 Nov 1990. His reign was designated Heisei, or “Achieving Peace.” Several news outlets have reported recently that he may be suffering osteoporosis or osteopenia in the aftermath of his treatment for prostrate cancer in 2003.

The succession issue dropped off Page 1 at the birth of a male heir in 2006. Until then, Emperor Akihito's sons—Crown Prince Naruhito, 46, and Prince Akishino, 40—had produced three girls. The boy's birth postponed the succession crunch until the next generation of the royal family, which traces its roots back 1,500 years. It put the brakes on a divisive debate over whether to change Japan’s 1947 imperial law so women can inherit the throne. Under that law, only men in an all-male line to the emperor can assume the crown. While eight women have ruled as emperor over the centuries, the last taking the throne in 1762, they served mostly as placeholders until a suitable male could be found. The postwar law codified that tradition.

Before the boy's birth, a high-level panel recommended allowing women on the throne, then letting them pass the crown to their offspring. The proposal had support from then prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and the public. Conservatives mounted a vociferous attack on the plan, saying it would end centuries of tradition.

The emperor traditionally makes a speech on his birthday. A public ceremony takes place at the Imperial Palace which, usually off limits to the public, opens its gates. The Emperor, accompanied by Empress Michiko and several other members of the imperial family, appears on a balcony, protected by bulletproof glass, to acknowledge the birthday congratulations of crowds of festive well-wishers waving tiny Japanese flags. The public is allowed to enter the inner grounds of the palace Only on this occasion and on Jan 2. Oct/08

RELATED READING:
Public seen tiring of hereditary politics (Japan Times 9 Oct 2008)
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081009n1.html

Return of the Geisha (Times 5 Oct 2008)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4882382.ece

Princess backs Japan succession change (BBC 7 Jan 2002)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1746886.stm