
Makoto Watanabe, former grand chamberlain
13:28 JST, February 10, 2022
When the Emperor Emeritus made his official visit to the United Kingdom as Emperor back in 1998, he is said to have introduced his grand chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth by saying, “His great-grandfather served my great-grandfather.”
For a decade from 1996, Makoto Watanabe, who died at age 85 on Tuesday, was grand chamberlain to the Emperor Emeritus during his reign as Emperor.
Watanabe’s father, Akira, was a schoolmate of Emperor Showa — the Emperor Emeritus’ father — and served as a member of the House of Peers, while his great-grandfather, Chiaki, was the Imperial Household Minister during the era under the reign of Emperor Meiji.
Recalling the time when Watanabe became aware that his role would be to serve the then Emperor, he said without bragging about it, “My thought was that I was naturally being put into such a world.”
One of his subordinates later said, “He spent time at the Imperial Palace as much as needed, dedicated to serving the Imperial family and regularly putting off his personal life.”
Even after Watanabe stepped down from his role as grand chamberlain, he served as an adviser to the Imperial Household Agency from April 2012 to June 2020.
He also wrote a book about his 10½ years as the “butler of the Imperial family” that has become an indispensable text on knowing what the then Emperor is like. From his descriptions of daily life at the palace and conveying the feelings of the then Emperor and Empress regarding their official duties, readers can sense the deep trust the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita had in Watanabe.
When Watanabe was hospitalized last autumn, he was said to have told those around him, “I don’t want to let the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita know about this, for they would worry about me.”
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Earthquake Hits with Epicenter in Central Tokyo; No Tsunami Warning
-
Princess Aiko Delivers First Address During Official Duty; Daughter of Emperor and Empress Speaks at Opening of International Medical Conference
-
Suspicious Plastic Bottle Containing Black Liquid Found on Tokaido Shinkansen Train; Police Working to Identify Contents
-
Man Arrested on Suspicion of Drunk Driving after Rear-ending Bus in Yokosuka
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Visitor Surge Expected in Latter Half as Increased Ticket Sales Not Leading to More Attendance Yet
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Core Inflation in Japan’s Capital Sharply Accelerates in April
-
U.S. Holds Fire Over Yen Exchange Rate Targets; Bessent Said to Understand Negative Impact on Markets
-
Japanese Govt Mulls Raising Number of Cars to be Imported Under Simplified Screen System in U.S. Tariff Negotiations
-
Rice Prices Rise for 15th Straight Week, with Releases of Stockpiled Rice Slow to Circulate
-
Japan Must Take Lead in Maintaining Free Trade System, Says Chairman of Japan Trade Group