NARUHITO

President Joe Biden has launched a new trade deal with 12 Indo-Pacific nations aimed at strengthening their economies as he warns Americans worried about high inflation that it is “going to be a haul” before they feel relief.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki has urged Japan’s central government to do more to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southern island group as it marked the 50th anniversary of its return to Japanese rule.

Kei Komuro, 30, the husband of former Japanese princess Mako Komuro, has failed the New York state bar exam for the second time. Kei, who graduated from New York’s Fordham University law school in 2021, first attempted the bar that same year. Due to the public criticism, Mako was said to have developed post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the imperial household agency.

French authorities have announced that children six and older will have to wear masks in indoor places open to the public as new cases of the highly contagious omicron variant surge past 200.000 for the fourth consecutive day.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito offered prayers for those who died during the pandemic, taking to video for the second straight year for his New Year’s greeting on Saturday, having canceled public palace gatherings to curb coronavirus infections. Sitting before a bonsai tree with his wife Masako, Naruhito praised and thanked doctors and other health care workers, and expressed concern for countries lacking access to vaccines and adequate hospital systems. Japan has recorded more than 18,000 COVID-19-related deaths, but the pace of deaths has fallen in recent months.

Japanese Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, on Wednesday turned 20, ready for a debut as a new adult member to take a share of official duties for the royal family whose population continues to shrink under the male-only succession law. Aiko is the only child of Naruhito and Empress Masako, a Harvard-educated former diplomat.

Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, has complained about harsh criticism of his daughter’s recent marriage and suggested that the imperial family should be allowed to refute false and extreme attacks. The crown prince's daughter, former Princess Mako, married commoner Kei Komuro, her college sweetheart, last month without a traditional wedding celebration, in part because of public criticism of a financial dispute involving the groom's mother. “Libel, whether in magazines or online, is unacceptable,” Akishino said at a news conference that was recorded last week and released Tuesday to mark his 56th birthday.

A Japanese princess who gave up her royal status to marry her commoner college sweetheart has arrived in New York as the couple left behind a nation that has criticized their romance.

Mako has taken the surname of her husband and become Mako Komuro — the first time she has had a family name. In Japan's imperial family, only male members are given household names.

Japanese Princess Mako says she will “walk together” in a new life with her husband after they married without a celebration in a union that has split public opinion.

A descendant of Russia's former imperial family married his Italian bride on Friday in the first royal wedding to take place on Russian soil since tsarist times more than a century ago.

Japan's Princess Mako is set to marry a commoner later in October and was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Japanese Princess Mako and her fiancé are tying the knot next month but no wedding ceremonies are planned

The Tokyo Paralympics have closed to end a saga that began eight years ago when the Japanese capital was named the host city by the International Olympic Committee.

Princess Mako of Akishino and her college sweetheart Kei Komuro announced their engagement in 2017, and have been plagued with controversy ever since.

The opening featured acrobats, clowns and fireworks to mark the start of the long parade of athletes representing more than 160 nations.

The Paralympics have begun in the same empty National Stadium that hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics.

Japan has marked the 76th anniversary of its surrender in World War II.

When the Tokyo Olympics began during a rising number of coronavirus cases, the majority of the host nation were in opposition.

Every Japanese of a certain age has memories of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

A display of fireworks and choreography unfolded in a near-empty stadium in a subdued ceremony.

Tokyo has hit another six-month high in new COVID-19 cases one day before the Olympics begin, as worries grow of a worsening of infections during the Games.

Jill Biden is in Tokyo on her first solo international trip as first lady.

Toyota won’t be airing any Olympic-themed advertisements on Japanese television during the Tokyo Games despite being one of the IOC’s top corporate sponsors.

A “no-spectator" Olympics remains an option according to the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee Seiko Hashimoto.

The head of the Imperial Palace in Japan says Emperor Naruhito is “extremely worried” that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics could accelerate the spread of the coronavirus.

Japan on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that struck Japan's northeastern coast. Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga were among those observing a moment of silence at a memorial in Tokyo. More than 18,000 people died, mostly in the tsunami, and nearly half a million people were displaced. The government recognizes another 3,700 — mostly from Fukushima prefecture — who died of causes linked to the disaster, such as stress. Thursday's ceremony comes just two weeks before the Olympic torch relay begins from Fukushima for the delayed Tokyo Summer Games in July.

BEIJING – Thailand's capital is shutting down venues including schools and entertainment areas as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Seven provinces including Bangkok have been designated red zones where places including entertainment venues, boxing rings, gyms and flea markets are ordered closed. Bangkok reported 180 cases in the last 24 hours. The requirements by the Shenyang and Dalian airports come amid a small but persistent growth in cases in the two cities located in Liaoning province just north of the capital Beijing. China on Friday reported a total of 19 new virus cases, including 10 that were brought from outside the country.

Fireworks and drones illuminate the night sky over London as they form a light display as London's normal New Year's Eve fireworks display was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic Thursday Dec. 31, 2020. As midnight rolled from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas, the New Year’s experience mirrored national responses to the virus itself. Some countries and cities canceled or scaled back their festivities, while others without active outbreaks carried on like any other year. In Chinese societies, the virus ensured more muted celebrations of the solar New Year, which is less widely observed than the Lunar New Year that in 2021 will fall in February. Initial reports about a mystery respiratory illness sickening people in the Chinese city of Wuhan emerged exactly a year ago.

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois has risen above 12,000 deaths from COVID-19, while also surpassing the 700,000 mark for confirmed coronavirus infections. The Health Department said the situation constituted an “alert,” and said that nationwide, infections had risen by over 8% last week. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have asked the FDA to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The state health department reported 5,704 new cases on Friday, putting the state at 3,476 deaths and 295,001 cases since March. ___TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he expects more than half of Canadians to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by next September.

South Korea on Thursday registered 583 new cases, the first time its daily tally had exceeded 500 since March. But they say South Korea is expected to report 400-600 new cases every day until early December before the distancing restrictions could show effects. He says the number of virus cases in South Korea has increased after weekends over the past two weeks. Experts have urged the government to reduce social and business activity before the holiday season because of a rise in serious coronavirus cases. Friday’s infections were the highest daily number of cases reported since Aug. 6.

Experts have urged the government to reduce social and business activity before the holiday season because of a rise in serious coronavirus cases. The 583 new cases reported Thursday was the first time that South Korea’s daily tally had exceeded 500 since March. KCCI reports that the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 3,331 new positive COVID-19 cases as of 10 a.m. to bring the total to 222,278. The 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 of population, a recognized measure of the pandemic’s spread, also fell Thursday, to 325. The Reno-Sparks area has recorded 59 COVID-19 deaths the last 30 days — half of those this past week.

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito, better known as Prince Akishino, leaves the Imperial Palace after being formally declared first in line to succeed the Chrysanthemum Throne during a ceremony Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. “I hereby declare in and outside of the country that prince Fumihito is now the crown prince,” said Naruhito, in his reddish brown robe and a headdress. Sunday's proclamation for the crown prince paves the way for the government to start discussing what to do with the dire shortage of heirs. Naruhito's succession left only two younger men in line for the throne — Fumihito and his 14-year-old son, Hisahito. Suga recently said his government will begin studying ways to secure a stable imperial succession after the crown prince's proclamation.

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga walks at the prime minister's office after a cabinet meeting Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Tokyo. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet resigned, clearing the way for his successor Suga to take over after parliamentary confirmation later in the day. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO – Before he got Japan's top government job officially, Yoshihide Suga was known as a “shadow" prime minister and the right-hand man for his long-serving predecessor. The self-made politician was elected by Parliament on Wednesday as Japan's new prime minister, two days after he succeeded Abe as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Suga was a loyal supporter of Abe since Abe's first stint as prime minister from 2006 to 2007, and he helped Abe return to power in 2012 and become Japan's longest-serving prime minister.

Executives of Abes ruling Liberal Democratic Party met Tuesday and decided that the Sept. 14 vote for party leader and with it almost assuredly prime minister will be limited to lawmakers and not broader members of the party. ___FUMIO KISHIDA: Abe's foreign minister from 2012-2017, the 63-year-old Kishida had once been considered the party's preferred choice to become the next prime minister. ___SHIGERU ISHIBA: A former defense minister seen as Abes archrival within the party, the 63-year-old Ishiba is the publics favorite for the next prime minister in media surveys. Ishiba's vocal criticism of Abe, however, has hurt his popularity among ruling party lawmakers. In addition to defense minister, Ishiba has also held top ministry posts in agriculture and local revitalization.

Worshippers queue to pay respects to the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Tokyo. Japan marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. There was no word of apology from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who gave thanks for the sacrifices of the Japanese war dead but had nothing to say about the suffering of Japans neighbors. He pledged that Japan will reflect on lessons from history and will not repeat the war devastation. Abe stayed away from a Tokyo shrine that honors convicted war criminals among the war dead.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. telecommunications regulator voted on Thursday to advance a plan to split a key spectrum block set aside for auto safety to accommodate the burgeoning number of wireless devices, but the Transportation Secretary warned that doing so could lead to thousands more deaths in traffic accidents. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao attends the banquet for newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito, hosted by the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe and his spouse in Tokyo, Japan October 23, 2019. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the proposal was a balanced approach that maximizes the value of the band for the American people. Instead, they favor using the spectrum for developing technology to allow vehicles to exchange data about location, speed and direction. Government studies have suggested the technology, if widely adopted among U.S. vehicles, could prevent at least 600,000 crashes annually.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako wave from their car during the imperial parade for enthronement of Emperor Naruhito on Nov. 10 in Tokyo, Japan. Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako paraded in a convertible sedan along a(CNN) - Japan's newly crowned emperor and empress were cheered by tens of thousands of spectators during an imperial parade through the heart of Tokyo Sunday. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako waved to the crowds from the back of their open-top Toyota Century limousine during the 30-minute parade. Emperor Naruhito wore a tailcoat during the parade, while Empress Masako donned a white dress and tiara, which glistened in the sunlight. Emperor Naruhito's official enthronement ceremony took place in October, in a centuries-old ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

TOKYO - Japan's Emperor Naruhito has officially proclaimed his enthronement, in a ritual-bound, centuries-old ceremony attended by more than a hundred dignitaries from around the world. The brother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito, 83-year-old Prince Hitachi, watched the proceedings from a wheelchair. The devastation prompted the palace to postpone a 4.6-kilometer (2.9-mile) public parade from the Imperial Palace to Akasaka Palace until November. The role of Japan's emperor has changed significantly since Naruhito's grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, sat on the throne. Naruhito took the throne after his father, Akihito, became the first emperor to abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne in modern history.

Tokyo Japan's new Emperor Naruhito effectively stepped back into the 19th century on Tuesday to participate in enthronement pageantry as he officially ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne. Japan's Emperor Naruhito makes his appearance during a ceremony to proclaim his enthronement to the world, called Sokuirei-Seiden-no-gi, at the Imperial Palace on October 22, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. Legacy of "the people's emperor"But Ruoff also credits Japan's symbolic leader of the last 50 years, who he terms "the people's emperor." Japan Emperor Akihito first to step down in more than 200 years"For many Japanese, their definition of democracy includes peace," Ruoff said. Japan's Empress Masako makes her appearance during a ceremony to proclaim Emperor Naruhito's enthronement to the Chrysanthemum Throne during an enthronement ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on October 22, 2019.

TOKYO - More than half a million petty criminals will be pardoned in Japan next week to mark the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito, the government announced Friday. About 550,000 people will be given amnesties for their crimes to encourage criminals to "reform and rehabilitate," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. Naruhito ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne in May, becoming the 126th Emperor of Japan and ushering in the new Reiwa era. Naruhito will celebrate his enthronement on Tuesday in a ceremony at the Imperial Palace attended by dignitaries from 174 countries and international organizations, followed by a series of banquets. But the public parade -- the 4.6-kilometer (2.9-mile) route from the Imperial Palace to Akasaka Palace -- will instead proceed on November 10 as the nation reels in the aftermath of Hagibis.