Akihito

1933 - Born Akihito Tsugonimaya in Tokyo on December 23, 1993.

1950 - Attended Gakushuin University.

1952 - Akihito was officially proclaimed as the next Emperor of Japan. On November 10, 1952, his formal Investiture as Crown Prince took place at the Kokyo Imperial Palace.

1953 - Represented Japan at the coronation of England's Queen Elizabeth II.

1959 - Married Michiko Shoda, a commoner, on April 10, 1959.

1989 - Assumed the throne on January 7, 1989 after the death of Emperor Showa.

1990 - On November 12, 1990, Prince Akihito was formally enthroned as Emperor of Japan.

1998 - Invested with the The Most Noble Order of the Garter, during his state visit in United Kingdom.

1999-2000 - Emperor Akihito wants to be closer with the Japanese people. The Royal Family have made official visits to other countries and visited the forty-seven Prefectures of Japan.

2002 - The Emperor was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgery.