Piperine, along with its isomer chavicine, is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper and long pepper. It has been used in some forms of traditional medicine.
In the Japanese constitutional monarchy, the emperor does not have any political power. In world politics, he is the only current emperor. The current emperor is His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Akihito. He has been on the Chrysanthemum Throne since his father Emperor ShÅwa (Hirohito) died in 1989. The amount of power belonging to the emperor of Japan has changed a lot throughout Japanese history.
By SUSAN CHIRA, Special to the New York Times. Emperor Hirohito, the last of the World War II leaders and Japan's longest-reigning monarch, died today at the Imperial Palace. He was 87 years old. In his 62-year reign, the Emperor presided over the most tumultuous era in Japan's modern history, although like most of the 123 emperors before him, he watched more than he acted.