Japan welcomes Reiwa 'New Year' with hopes for peace, prosperity

Emperor Naruhito, 59, was formally invested on Wednesday after his father, Akihito, 85, stepped down the day before. Akihito, the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in two centuries, became an active symbol of peace, reconciliation and democracy during his three-decade Heisei era. "The curtain has gone up on a new era that will be filled with hope," said Hiroshi Takahashi, 78, outside his 'wagashi' traditional Japanese sweets shop in Tokyo.

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