 He was married on 10 April 1959 to Michiko Shōda.Emperor Akihito succeeded his father as emperor on 7 January 1989, and was succeeded by Naruhito after he abdicated on 30 April 2019.The Empress Emerita was born in Tokyo on 20 October 1934, the eldest daughter of Hidesaburo Shōda, president and honorary chairman of Nisshin Flour Milling Inc..