Imperial Remembrance of Bombing Victims

Today, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress placed flowers at the Tokyo Memorial Hall in honor of the victims of the Allied bombing in World War II. The occasion was the 70th anniversary of the "Great Tokyo Air Raid" and the hall contains the ashes of roughly 105,000 victims of the bombings. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese people, mostly civilians, were killed in the conventional bombing raids on Japanese cities, many more than were killed in the two atomic-bomb attacks actually. After the war, at the war crimes trials in Tokyo and Nuremberg, no Axis officials or military personnel were convicted of war crimes for bombing civilian targets. The reason for this, of course, was simple; the Allies had bombed civilians themselves and did not want their people to face charges, so the issue was not taken up.

Day of Culture, 2014

Today is the Day of Culture in Japan and the occasion was marked by the bestowal of the Order of Culture (文化勲章) on seven individuals by HM the Emperor. These included recent recipients of the Nobel Prize. Six of those honored were able to attend the official ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Dutch Royal Visit to Japan

Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands were welcomed on an official visit to Japan by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress. The Dutch Royal Family and the Japanese Imperial Family have been known for their very close friendship over the years.

Japan and Canada

TM driven through Ottawa by the RCMP

TM in the Canadian Parliament

TM with Prime Minister and Mrs Stephen Harper

Manchu-Japanese Imperial Ties

Yesterday was the anniversary of the start of the 1911 Revolution in China that ended with the abdication of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and an end to thousands of years of the imperial monarchial tradition in China. Later, the Empire of Japan would correct one of the great historic injustices associated with this uprising by restoring the last Qing Emperor to the throne of his ancestral homeland of Manchuria, which was his birthright. In honor of that, here are some photos of the Manchu and Japanese Emperors together on the visit of the Emperor of Manchukuo to Japan to affirm the close ties of friendship between the two monarchies.

結婚おめでとう。末永くお幸せに。

Princess Noriko Bids Farewell to His Majesty

Recently, HIH Princess Noriko formally bid farewell to HM the Emperor in preparation for her upcoming marriage which will entail her legally leaving the Japanese Imperial Family.

Birthday of HM Emperor Taisho 大正天皇

On this day in 1879 His Majesty the Taisho Emperor was born:

A Trustworthy Military Force

Rising Sun in the Lone Star State

Friendship of the Spanish and Japanese Monarchies

King Juan Carlos I of Spain has announced his intention to abdicate after forty years on the Spanish throne. He will be succeeded by his son Felipe, Prince of Asturias. The Spanish and Japanese monarchies have enjoyed very close and friendly relations over the years, fostered by the friendship between the Spanish Royal Family and the Imperial Family of Japan. Here are some photos of past meetings:

King and Queen of Bhutan in Japan

The King & Queen of Bhutan with Her Majesty the Empress

The Bhutanese Royal couple wore Japanese clothes during their visit

Monarchies share a respect for tradition that republics cannot match

Highlighting the Bhuddist spiritual ties between Japan and Bhutan

Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress also met with Princess Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuk of Bhutan and her husband Palden Yoeser Thinley on another visit to Japan.

The royal ties of friendship between two monarchies; 

the Land of the Thunder Dragon and the Land of the Rising Sun