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Asia

Japan's new emperor Naruhito: A cosmopolitan team player

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    FILE - In this April 30, 2013, file photo, Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako arrive at the Nieuwe Kerk or New Church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, for the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander. Japan’s soon-to-be-anointed new emperor is a musician and historian, both mild-mannered and quietly tenacious, a team player and a loyal husband and friend who will bring an unusually global perspective to an ancient institution when he ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, 2019. Because Naruhito, 59, will be more distanced from the World War II shadows that his 85-year-old father, Akihito, labored under, he may also enjoy greater liberty in shaping the contours of his reign. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, File)

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    FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2019, file photo provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako pose for a photo at their residence Togu Palace in Tokyo. Japan’s soon-to-be-anointed new emperor is a musician and historian, both mild-mannered and quietly tenacious, a team player and a loyal husband and friend who will bring an unusually global perspective to an ancient institution when he ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, 2019. (Imperial Household Agency of Japan via AP, File)

TOKYO – Japan's future new emperor is a musician and historian who is expected to bring a global perspective to an ancient institution when he ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1.

The 59-year-old Naruhito will be Japan's first emperor to have studied abroad and will enjoy greater liberty in shaping his own role than his father.

Japan's constitution limits the emperor to a symbolic role, and Naruhito is likely to emulate his father, 85-year-old Akihito.

Akihito chose to end his three-decade reign by abdicating April 30.

In an annual news conference ahead of his Feb. 23 birthday, Naruhito said he was open to taking up a new role that "suits the times."

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