Crown Prince Akihito graduates from Gakushuin University. At a tennis tournament he meets his future wife, Michiko, who becomes the first commoner to join the Imperial Household. In another break with tradition, they raise their own children. Together, the Imperial Couple press ahead with duties in Japan and abroad, even in the face of danger. On the death of his father, Crown Prince Akihito becomes Emperor in 1989.

• Akihito
• Dawn Matus
• Michiko