The emperor of Japan or Tennō (天皇, pronounced [tennoꜜː]), literally "ruler from

heaven" or "heavenly sovereign",[2][a] is the hereditary monarch and head of state

of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the
Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from
"the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power".[4] The Imperial
Household Law governs the line of imperial succession. Pursuant to his
constitutional role as a national symbol, and in accordance with rulings by the
Supreme Court of Japan, the emperor is personally immune from prosecution.[5] By
virtue of his position as the head of the Imperial House, the emperor is also
recognized as the head of the Shinto religion, which holds him to be the direct
descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. According to tradition, the office of
emperor was created in the 7th century BC, but modern scholars believe that the
first emperors did not appear until the 5th or 6th centuries AD.[6][7]

The role of the emperor of Japan has historically alternated between a largely
ceremonial symbolic role and that of an actual imperial ruler. Since the
establishment of the first shogunate in 1192, the emperors of Japan have rarely
taken on a role as supreme battlefield commander, unlike many Western monarchs.
Japanese emperors have nearly always been controlled by external political forces,
to varying degrees. For example, between 1192 and 1867, the shōguns, or their
shikken regents in Kamakura (1203–1333), were the de facto rulers of Japan,
although they were nominally appointed by the emperor. After the Meiji Restoration
in 1868, the emperor was the embodiment of all sovereign power in the realm, as
enshrined in the Meiji Constitution of 1889. Since the enactment of the 1947
constitution, the role of emperor has been relegated to that of a ceremonial head
of state without even nominal political powers. For example, the emperor is the
head of the Japanese honors system, conferring orders, decorations, medals, and
awards in the name of the state and on behalf of its people in accordance with the
advice of the Cabinet.

Since the mid-nineteenth century, the emperor and other members of the imperial
family have resided at the Imperial Palace,[b] located on the former site of Edo
Castle in the heart of Tokyo, the current capital of Japan. Earlier, emperors
resided in Kyoto, the ancient capital, for nearly eleven centuries. The Emperor's
Birthday (currently 23 February) is a national holiday.

Naruhito is the current emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne

upon the abdication of his father, Emperor Akihito, on 1 May 2019. He is the only
remaining monarch and head of state in the world who holds the title of Emperor.