A Japanese emperor has abdicated for the first in more than 200 years. Emperor Akihito stepped down from the Chrysanthemum Throne on April 30 after 30 years of being the Japanese . He made way for his Crown Prince Naruhito to become the emperor. Akihito decided to step down of his health. At the of 85, he has been visibly slowing down for the past years. He has also had a couple of health scares. He believes his son is now better able to carry out the of emperor. Emperor Akihito will be remembered for using a personal to bring his people together after many national disasters. He continually visited people after earthquakes, tsunami and other .
The new Emperor Naruhito became the 126th emperor to ascend the of the world's oldest monarchy. Naruhito, 59, spent two years studying at Oxford University. His , the new Empress Masako, studied at Harvard University and worked as a . A traditional took place as part of the historic . In the ceremony, Naruhito received a sacred , a jewel and official seals that date back thousands of years. The ceremony took in the middle of a ten-day Japanese holiday. The Golden Week holiday was extended to allow to celebrate the new emperor. Millions of Japanese were glued to their TVs and smartphones watching the event.
