| 100% | AKIHITO | 7 | Emperor of Japan since 1989 set to abdicate in 2019 |
| 54% | AKIHITO | 7 | Emperor of Japan from 1989 until his abdication in 2019 |
| 51% | AKIHITO | 7 | Emperor of Japan who came to power in 1989 |
| 41% | AKIHITO | 7 | Emperor of Japan from 1989-2019 |
| 37% | AKIHITO | 7 | Emperor of Japan from 1989 |
| 36% | HIROHITO | 8 | Emperor of Japan from 1926 until 1989 |
| 35% | OFFER | 5 | Former government body set up in 1989 to supervise the activities of the electricity companies (inits) |
| 33% | AKIHITO | 7 | Emperor who abdicated in 2019 after 30 years |
| 31% | TOKYO | 5 | Japan's biggest city, the setting of "Lost in Translation" |
| 31% | INTERVIEW | 9 | Set of questions answered in order to land a job |
| 31% | MEMOIRS | 7 | __ Of a Geisha, movie set in Japan |
| 30% | HIBACHI | 7 | Large earthenware pot of Japan in which charcoal is burnt to provide indoor heating |
| 30% | TENNO | 5 | Emperor of Japan |
| 30% | HIROHITO | 8 | Emperor of Japan |
| 29% | WWI | 3 | Setting of the Robert Graves memoir "Good-bye to All That," in brief |
| 29% | HIROHITO | 8 | Emperor of Japan during WWII |
| 29% | XXXXX | 5 | Emperor of Japan, 1867-1912 |
| 29% | FORK | 4 | Utensil to the left of the plate in a standard table setting |
| 29% | MIKADO | 6 | Old emperor of Japan |
| 29% | ARSON | 5 | In criminal law, the act of intentionally setting fire to property for some improper reason |
| 29% | KASHIHARA | 9 | City in Nara Prefecture, Japan, housing the principal shrine devoted to Emperor Jimmu |
| 28% | TRIPLETOSSUP | 12 | "Wheel of Fortune" feature since 2019, and a hint to the circled letters |
| 28% | BOXINGDAY | 9 | Present time in England? ... or a hint to each set of circled squares |
| 28% | WRAPSUP | 7 | Finishes, and a hint to the sets of circled letters in this puzzle |
| 28% | AKIHITO | 7 | Monarch who abdicated in 2019 |
| 28% | HADES | 5 | Antagonist (and namesake) of a 2019 Tony-winning musical set partly in the underworld |
| 28% | OUTSIDERARTISTS | 15 | Self-taught creators, in modern lingo, and a hint to each set of circles |
| 28% | ROMANTELESCOPE | 14 | NASA project set to launch in 2027, named for the former chief of astronomy |
| 28% | HIROHITO | 8 | Emperor of Japan during the Second World War |
| 28% | GANGOFFOUR | 10 | Faction in China's Cultural Revolution ... or a hint to each set of circled letters |