Japan's former Emperor Akihito turned 89 on Friday, after having spent most of the year peacefully with his wife, former Empress Michiko, while pursuing his life's work on goby fish research, the Imperial Household Agency said.
His condition has improved since receiving treatment for a heart failure diagnosis in July. His daily routine includes taking morning and evening walks with his wife at what is now called the Emperor Emeritus' Residence in the Akasaka Estate.
In April, the couple moved back into the Akasaka residence, completing a swap with their son, Emperor Naruhito, and his family, who moved into the Imperial Residence within the Imperial Palace in September 2021.
Outside of visits to the hospital and the Imperial Palace, the coronavirus pandemic has limited the former emperor's outings this year to two special exhibits on the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's reversion to Japan from U.S. rule in June, and an exhibit for the late Prince Mikasa in December.
The former emperor's research on goby fish brings him to a biology research institute inside the Imperial Palace twice a week, where he reviews academic papers, examines specimens under a microscope and sometimes attends online meetings on fish systematics research.
Keeping up to date with the latest news through newspapers and television, the former emperor continues to read aloud from books, recently re-reading a textbook on the Japanese language that he and the former empress studied in the fifth grade.
After dinner, he sometimes reminiscences with his attendants about places he has visited in Japan and abroad while looking through the records from those times, according to the agency.
He has reflected on memories of past trips to Britain, expressing gratitude for the friendship he had built with the late Queen Elizabeth II since her coronation in 1953, the agency said.
Former Emperor Akihito stepped down from the Chrysanthemum Throne on April 30, 2019, becoming the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in around 200 years. His eldest son, Naruhito, succeeded to the throne the following day.
The former emperor continues to take medication and limit his intake of fluids. He also successfully underwent surgery for cataracts and glaucoma in September and is on the mend, according to the agency.
