Japan's Naruhito hopes for a year without natural disasters Japan's new Emperor Naruhito says he hopes for a year without natural disasters when he delivers his first New Year speech since ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne to tens of thousands of well-wishers. Also attending the traditional New year celebration was Naruhito's father Akihito, who became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in around two centuries when he stepped down from the throne on April 30, ending his three-decade reign. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES