TOKYO: Japan’s Emperor Akihito attended a ceremony on Sunday to mark the 30th year of his reign while calling for the country to embrace openness in a more globalized world.
The government-sponsored ceremony at the National Theater in Tokyo was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Empress Michiko.
“Japan has long cultivated its own culture as an island nation,” the 85-year-old emperor said. “But now the world is becoming more globalized. I think it is now required for us to be more open to the outside world, to establish our own position with wisdom and to build relationships with other countries with sincerity.”
Akihito’s Heisei era will end when he abdicates on April 30 in favor of his elder son, 59-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, beginning a new, as yet unnamed era.
The Emperor has cited his deteriorating health as his reason for stepping aside. While his official duties have been scaled back somewhat, he still receives visiting dignitaries, attends ceremonies and makes official visits. Inside the palace, he also performs private rituals of Shintoism, the indigenous religion intertwined with Japan’s imperial family.
In a congratulatory speech at Sunday’s ceremony, Abe said the people will “never forget” how the imperial couple have “always stood by the people for 30 years.”
Members of the public signed their names in registers to commemorate the emperor’s 30-year reign in front of the Imperial Household Agency building on the Imperial Palace ground.
Emperor Akihito marks 30th year of reign at Tokyo ceremony
Emperor Akihito marks 30th year of reign at Tokyo ceremony
- Akihito’s Heisei era will end when he abdicates on April 30 in favor of his elder son Crown Prince Naruhito
- The Emperor has cited his deteriorating health as his reason for stepping aside
Dozens missing after boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsized off the coast of Gambia
- At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region
BANJUL: Dozens are missing after a boat carrying more than 200 migrants on their way to Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, the West African nation’s leader said late Friday, setting off a frantic search and rescue operation.
At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region, Gambian President Adama Barrow said in a state broadcast.
The emergency services were joined by local fishermen and other volunteers in searching for the victims, days after Wednesday’s incident near the village of Jinack, he said.
Thousands of Africans desperate for better opportunities in Europe risk their lives traveling on boats along the Atlantic coast, one of the world’s deadliest migrant routes that connects the West African coast across Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania.
Many migrants seeking to reach Spain via the Canary Islands never make it due to high risks of boats capsizing. In August 2025, around 150 people were either dead or missing after their boat that came from Gambia capsized off the coast of Mauritania. A similar incident in July 2024 killed more than a dozen migrants with 150 others declared missing.
It was not clear what led to the latest tragedy. Gambia’s Ministry of Defense said the boat was found “grounded on a sandbank.”
“The national emergency response plan has been activated and the government has deployed adequate resources to intensify efforts and provide assistance to the survivors,” Barrow said.
Some of the 102 survivors were undergoing urgent medical care, the Gambian leader said.
As he condoled with families, Barrow vowed a full investigation and called the accident a “painful reminder of the dangerous and life-threatening nature of irregular migration.”
“The government will strengthen efforts to prevent irregular migration and remains determined to create safer and more dignified opportunities for young people to fulfil their dreams,” he added.
