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Originally Posted by JapaneseLanguageStudent
Is the emperor still a living God? If he is not, then about how long ago was he no longer considered as such?
Also, does the emperor still speak in a special language? Or does he speak regular Japanese nowadays? I remember reading that when Hirohito announced the surrender of Japan, his speech had to be translated.
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No. The monarchy officially renounced their 'divinity' in the same speech where Japan surrendered. So over 60 years now.
I'm not sure, but I think the Emperor speaks polite and formal but recognisable Japanese now. The current emperor lives in a very different world and has a very different role to Hirohito. If you're interested, there are books about Japan post war- it might be worth reading one.