President Donald Trump met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday, continuing a tour of Asia that began at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia on Sunday and is scheduled to end with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in South Korea on Thursday.
Emperor Naruhito began his reign in 2019 after his father Akihito resigned from the throne due to advancing age and declining health – the first abdication in the Japanese imperial line since 1817. Naruhito is now 65 years old and his Empress Masako is 61.
Akihito is still alive at age 91, the longest-lived sovereign in the recorded history of what may be the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy (there is some dispute among historians about the timeline of the first emperor).
U.S. President Donald J. Trump (L) meets with Japan’s Emperor Naruhito (R) in Tokyo, Japan on October 27, 2025. (Imperial household Agency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The emperor’s position has been mostly symbolic since the current Japanese constitution was written in 1947. Although Emperor Hirohito renounced his presumed divinity after World War II, the emperor of Japan still holds a ceremonial role in the Shinto religion.
The Japanese people still hold the office of the emperor in great esteem, although they have grown concerned about the line of succession, since Naruhito has no male children – his current potential heirs include his brother, his young nephew, and his considerably older uncle. Polls have shown a majority of the Japanese public favors allowing women to join the line of succession.
Trump first met with Emperor Naruhito during a state visit to Japan in 2019, shortly after Naruhito’s ascension. Trump said at the time it was a “great honor to be representing the United States” during the historic events of the imperial succession. The second meeting between Trump and Naruhito had the more relaxed atmosphere of old friends getting together:
According to the Imperial Household Agency, Trump arrived at the Imperial Palace at 6:30 p.m. and met with Naruhito for about half an hour.
Trump expressed a desire to strengthen relations between the U.S. and Japan when he meets with Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on Tuesday, a desire shared by Naruhito.
“Trump explained to the Emperor the efforts he had made to resolve conflicts around the world since taking office. The Emperor responded that he is pained by the continued conflicts around the globe and that he prays for peace,” the Imperial Household Agency said in its summary of the meeting.
The agency said Trump and Naruhito talked about the success of Japanese athletes in America, such as Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Naruhito said he was “thankful that they have been warmly welcomed into American society.”
Prime Minister Takaichi sent a greeting to Trump upon his arrival in Japan, saying that she looked forward to meeting with him on Tuesday and “having a fruitful discussion on how we can further strengthen our great Alliance.” She included photos of Japanese landmarks illuminated with the colors of the American flag to welcome the U.S. president:
Trump is scheduled to meet with Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, for the first time on Tuesday, and then give a speech aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, which is currently anchored in Japan.
Read the full article here