Eli5: Why is the Japanese emperor an emperor if Japan is not an empire and doesn’t have a king or multiple Kings below him?
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It’s a cultural thing and not so much a literal thing. Some countries have a long history of having rulers such as kings, queens, and emperors. They have moved away from these types of governments to a more Democratic style of governance, but they keep these figureheads as more of a cultural thing. Their power is generally quite limited, especially when compared to those in history of the same position.
TLDR: it’s a cultural thing mostly and these leaders tend to have less power than previously. Think of it like the Queen of England. They have a fully functioning government and no real need for her, but culturally England has always had a royal family.
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