In 1989, the Emperor Showa was buried at the Musashino Imperial Mausoleum in the Hachioji district of Tokyo, with the structure alone costing Y2.6 billion (£19.89 million).

Acutely aware of the nation's perilous financial situation – Japan's national debt stood at 229.77 per cent of GDP in 2011, the highest in the world – as well as the need to raise funds to pay for the reconstruction of large parts of the northeast of the country that were devastated by last year's earthquake and tsunami, the imperial couple have apparently taken it upon themselves to be less of a burden on the nation.