The Emperor of Japan is the only Emperor in the world. As such, he has the highest rank of any human. He is recognized worldwide as Head of State of Japan, but under the Japanese constitution, the Emperor is not to have any role in politics.
An independent member of the Japanese parliament has been reprimanded, after handing a letter with political content to the Emperor. I can fully understand the outrage. The respect that must be shown to the Emperor involves respecting that he does not get involved in politics.
Some Japanese humans would want the Emperor to have a more political role. I do not agree. I believe one of the major advantages of a monarchy is that the monarch stands above politics, to be a symbol for the whole population, regardless of what politics of any one human. For much of Japanese history, this has also been the case, such as the period in the 17th and 18th centuries when the shoguns ruled. The Emperor is seen more now than he was then, and Japan is a democracy now. Still, the non-political status of the Emperor is not without precedence.
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