Japanese Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne on Tuesday. It was a simple and spiritual ceremony that belied his importance as a champion of global harmony.
He was the son of Emperor Hirohito, who approved the bombing of Pearl Harbor and helped lead the world into the chaos and destruction of World War II. Akihito inherited a new monarchy as victorious Allied Forces demanded that the institution become totally symbolic, a world of distance from his predecessors' godlike status. In that new era, he was an unshakable pacifist.
Akihito became a leading moral voice who traveled the world marking the impact of Japan's aggression. He honored his country's own dead without excusing the deaths they caused. Educated by an American Quaker, he quickly came to understand the necessity of peace.
