or Heisei emperor
born Dec. 23, 1933, Tokyo, Japan
Emperor of Japan from 1989.
Son of Hirohito , his role, like that of his father after 1945, has been largely ceremonial. He is the first Japanese emperor to have married a commoner, in what was hailed at the time as a love match rather than the customary arranged marriage. His children are Crown Prince Naruhito, Prince Akishino, and Princess Nori.