Legendary Japanese emperor to step-down in first abdication for nearly 200 years
JAPANESE Emperor Akihito will be Japan’s first abdication in nearly two centuries, the monarch’s son said.
The much-loved emperor will stand down on April 4, 2019 and he will be immediately succeeded by his son, Prince Naruhito on May 1, 2019.
The decision was made at a meeting of the Imperial House Council and announced by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday.
Japanese Parliament passed a historic bill in June this year that allowed the 83-year-old to abdicate if he chose.
It came after Akihito gave a TV interview in August 2016 when he said his age and fitness level could make it "difficult" for him to carry out his duties in the future.
GETTY
Related articles
This was seen by many as a plea to let him step down.
In what was only the third time a Japanese emperor had addressed his people since 1945, he said: "When I consider that my fitness level is gradually declining, I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the State with my whole being as I have done until now.”
Emperor Hirohito announced by radio that Japan lost the Second World War and Akihito addressed the nation on TV after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in 2011.
Akihito, who turns 84 on December 30, had been suffering health problems in recent years, including heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer.
He said: "I started to think about the pending future, how I should conduct myself should it become difficult for me to carry out my heavy duties in the way I have been doing, and what would be best for the country, for the people, and also for the Imperial Family members who will follow after me.”
Emperor Akihito is the 125th Emperor of Japan and a direct descendant of Japan’s first emperor Jimmu, circa 660 BC.
His abdication will mark the end of the Heisei era and his son, Prince will start a new imperial era.
Earlier reports said the emperor could abdicate on December 31 so that Naruhito would start on January 1, thus synchronising the imperial calendar.
But the proposal was reportedly rejected by the royal household as ceremonies mark the succession would then clash with new year royal events, according to Kyodo news agency.
GETTY
The emperor is a ceremonial figure in Japan’s constitutional monarchy.
Japan’s constitution defines the emperor as a symbol of the state and the people, without political power.
GETTY
His duties include Shinto religious ceremonies and constitutionally-defined tasks, such as the opening of parliament.
The octogenarian Akihito’s 29-year reign has also been marked by travels to domestic disaster sites to cheer survivors, and overseas to soothe the wounds of a war fought in the name of his father, Emperor Hirohito, who was considered divine until Japan’s defeat in World War Two.
More to follow…
