In 2001, Japan's longest-reigning emperor, Hirohito, celebrated his 100th birthday. Hirohito, who was crowned emperor in 1926, first presided over Japan's transition from semi-feudal kingdom to modern democracy and later played a key role in the global environmental movement (a role some of his biographers felt his interest in marine biology might have inspired him to take on).

In fact, Hirohito gave the concluding address at the 1995 Kyoto climate summit.

In 2001, Emperor Hirohito visited New York City to pay his respects to the victims and survivors of the 9/11 attacks.                                                                                                  

This visit reciprocated a similar journey former US President Bill Clinton had made to Japan six years earlier following the Tokyo subway gas attack.