# Naruhito accedes to the throne (2019)

URL: https://history-japan.com/timeline/2019-naruhito-accedes-to-the-throne
Location: Japan
Categories: ruler-change

Naruhito became emperor on 1 May after Akihito abdicated the previous day. The transition was the first imperial abdication in more than two centuries. The emperor’s role remained the symbolic and ceremonial one defined by the postwar Constitution.

Ruler at the time: [Abe Shinzo](https://history-japan.com/rulers/abe-shinzo-2012)

## Sources
- [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruhito)
- [kunaicho.go.jp](https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/en/learn/about/history/history01.html)