Emperor Akihito Biography, Japan Emperor Akihito, Naruhito Crown Prince of Japan, Japan, Emperor Akihito Biography Biography and Profile, Crown Princess of Japan, Naruhito

Emperor Akihito was born December 23, 1933, as the eldest son of the late Emperor Showa. In June 1953, His Majesty the Emperor, the then Crown Prince, representing Japan at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, made his first overseas trip. In April 1959, he married Michiko Shoda, the eldest daughter of former Nisshin Seifun President Hidesaburo Shoda, two years after she graduated from the University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo. Read Emperor Akihito Biography and Profile. Read more

Crown Princess Masako Biography, Crown Princess of Japan, Princess Masako, Crown Princess Masako, Masako Owada, Japan

Princess Masako of Japan was born Masako Owada on December 9, 1963, in Tokyo, Japan, to Ambassador Hisashi Owada and Yumiko Owada. Princess Masako is the crown princess of Japan. At a reception for Spain’s Princess Elena in Tokyo in 1986, Masako was introduced to the Crown Prince Naruhito. He became immediately enamored and began courting her. She is best known for her independent nature before she joined the royal family. Read Crown Princess Masako Biography and Profile. Read more