Akihito (明仁, Japanese: [akiꜜçi̥to]; English: /ˌækiˈhiːtoʊ/ (listen) or /ˌɑːk-/; born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, from 7 January 1989 until 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, Heisei being an expression of achieving peace worldwide.