Japan's Emperor Hirohito, who died in Tokyo early last month at the age of 87, was a dedicated scientist who devoted much of his life to the study and support of marine biology.

According to a 1987 interview with Grand Chamberlain Yoshihiro Tokugawa, who served the emperor for 50 years at the Imperial Palace, Hirohito's affinity for the biological began in the sixth grade when he saw his first collection of marine specimens. In the interview, published in the journal Oceanus [30(1), pages 86-90], Tokugawa said that this youthful interest marked for Hirohito the beginning of a lifetime of scientific investigations and contributions to the field of marine biology. He attended Gakushuin (then Peers School) and was tutored by the Special Institute established for the Crown...