High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Emperor of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. He is also the highest authority of the Shinto religion. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy (see Politics of Japan). The Emperor of Japan is the only current head of state entitled "Emperor". The Imperial House of Japan is the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world. In Nihonshoki, a book of Japanese history finished in the 8th century, it is said that the Empire of Japan was founded in 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu. The current emperor is His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Akihito, who has been on the Chrysanthemum Throne since his father Emperor Showa died in 1989.