Empress Emerita Michiko turns 90

She served as the consort of Japan for decades, and now, as the Empress Emerita, she celebrates her 90th birthday.

Michiko Shōda was born in Tokyo on 20 October 1934 into a wealthy family. As the second of four children, Michiko was the daughter of Hidesaburō Shōda and Fumiko Soejima.

© Horace Bristol/CORBIS/Public Domain

Michiko was educated in a mixed Japanese/Western format, learned English and played piano. In contrast to most Japanese, her family was Roman Catholic. She was raised and educated in different areas in Japan due to World War II but eventually returned to Tokyo where she graduated from a private high school.

She obtained her bachelor’s degree in English literature in 1957 from the University of the Sacred Heart. That same year, she met Crown Prince Akihito of Japan on a tennis court.

Just over a year later, the Imperial Household Council approved the marriage of the Crown Prince to Michiko. The engagement ceremony occurred on 14 January 1959, and they wed on 10 April 1959 in a Shinto ceremony.

The fact that Michiko was a Roman Catholic was met with resistance from traditionalists, and Empress Kōjun (her mother-in-law) opposed the union. However, the Japanese public supported the couple and they became quite popular with Michiko being seen as the symbol of Japan’s democratisation and modernisation.

By Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan – http://www.mofa.go.jp/s_sa/sea2/ph/page3e_000444.html, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

At some point, Michiko converted from Catholicism to Shinto and threw herself into raising her family and undertaking royal duties. Together, she and Akihito have three children: Emperor Naruhito, Crown Prince Fumihito and Sayako Kuroda (formerly Princess Sayako). They also broke with tradition and raised their children themselves instead of court chamberlains.

Akihito became Emperor of Japan after the death of his father in 1989, and he was enthroned the following year, making Crown Princess Michiko – Empress Michiko.

The pressure of the Imperial Household and media took a toll on her health, resulting in nervous breakdowns. She was unable to speak for 2 months in 1993 because of what her doctors called “deep sadness.” Stress also forced her to cancel several royal duties in 2007.

The Imperial Family in 2021. By 外務省, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

In recent years, she has dealt with several health issues, including a 2019 diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer. She had issues with a blood clot in her leg the following year and suffered from COVID-19 in early 2024. Empress Michiko fell and broke her femur in October 2024 and underwent surgery. The surgery was successful and she is recovering.

Since her husband’s abdication in 2019, she has been known as Empress Emerita Michiko and still undertakes a few royal duties. The Empress Emerita continues to be beloved by the Japanese public.