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Japan's retired emperor discovers new species of goby fish

The fish was collected around 10 years ago by the former emperor's research staff - Shizuo Kambayashi/AP
The fish was collected around 10 years ago by the former emperor's research staff - Shizuo Kambayashi/AP

Japan’s former emperor, who abdicated last year, has discovered a new species of goby fish, according to media reports.

Akihito, 86, now formally known as emperor emeritus, has long been renowned among academic circles as a marine biology expert with a particular passion for gobies.

The latest finding is the ninth new species discovered by the former emperor and the first since he stepped down from the Imperial throne last April following a 30-year reign.

The new species of fish was collected by the former emperor’s research staff around 10 years ago from waters in Japan’s southernmost Okinawa region, according to Japanese media.

Akihito reportedly identified the species as a new finding, belonging to the genus Callogobius, after examining the arrangement and number of sensory organs on its head.

Japan's former Emperor Akihito reportedly has a passion for goby fish -  Shizuo Kambayashi/AP
Japan's former Emperor Akihito reportedly has a passion for goby fish - Shizuo Kambayashi/AP

Tetsuji Nakabo, professor emeritus at Kyoto University who specialises in ichthyology, told the Yomiuri newspaper: “This method is still the basis for the taxonomy of gobies.”

The former emperor has reportedly chosen a name, which has not yet been revealed, and has been writing a paper about his research into the new fish following his retirement.

Akihito’s passion for all things goby – small ray-finned fish which often have large heads and tapered bodies – has been well documented for decades.

A long-time member of the Ichthyological Society of Japan, he has published dozens of papers and presented his research findings into the taxonomy of the goby at conferences around the world.

During his tenure as emperor, he established a biology research institute inside the grounds of the Imperial Palace, enabling him to continue to research the fish while carrying out his duties. A paper exploring the use of DNA analysis in identifying fish was published as recently as 2016.

His retirement has not dampened his interest in the fish: he made a rare excursion during the coronavirus outbreak in May as he headed to the Imperial Palace in order to visit the research institute. It was the first time he had returned to the palace since moving to a new residence two months earlier.

An expert knowledge of marine biology appears to run in the family. His father, the former emperor Hirohito, was also widely acclaimed as a marine biologist who wrote scientific papers on jellyfish-like creatures known as hydrozoa