Japan’s Akihito,the divine emperor

Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are beginning their six-day India visit from November 30. There are many protocols attached to the emperor who is considered divine by many conservatives in the country.

After Japan’s defeat in the second World War,Akihito’s father,Emperor Hirohito had renounced his divinity. But the belief is still alive among many conservatives in Japan. In reverence to the emperor,people don’t talk to him directly or touch him. The emperor does not have a political life. He is just a figurehead.

But recently,there was much hue and cry in Japan when a lawmaker approached the emperor during a ceremony and handed him over a letter highlighting the impact of Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The Japanese media showed the picture of the incident with many calling it inappropriate and impolite. Even after 70 years of the renunciation,the role of Japan’s emperor remains a sensitive issue.

So,when the emperor visits India,will he be accorded the same protocol?