When is it appropriate to begin referring to 明仁 as 平成天皇? The upcoming abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne, the enthronement of []{} and the start of the []{}[]{} presents a specific and unusual conundrum: It has become customary to refer to former (i.e. dead) emperors of Japan by their era name rather than their given name, and impolite to refer to the sitting emperor by their era name. The question then: Is this custom tied to enthronement and abdication (making []{} []{}[]{} on May 1st), or is it tied to 's actual death (date TBD)?

The current Emperor Akihito will be called **** ("Emperor Emeritus") after the abdication on April 30. The full name with an honorific title will be () ("His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus (Akihito)"). Something like is a (posthumous name), and the current Emperor will not be called until his demise. (To be precise, his can be different from , but this is highly unlikely.)

References:

* Wikipedia - ())

> : Emperor Emeritus201951

* nippon.com -- Emperor Akihito to Be Called Emperor Emeritus after Abdication

> Emperor Akihito will be called the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Michiko the Empress Emerita after the Emperor's abdication on April 30, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday. It has been already decided that in Japanese the Emperor's post-abdication title will be Joko and the Empress' Jokogo.