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| Japan’s Emperor, Who Gave the Monarchy a Human Face, Abdicates Throne | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| TOKYO — Three decades after he ascended the throne and three years after he asked to step down, Japan’s emperor on Tuesday became the country’s first monarch in more than two centuries to abdicate. | |
| Emperor Akihito, 85, the son of the wartime emperor Hirohito, relinquished the Chrysanthemum Throne in a short ceremony, passing the symbolic role to his eldest son, Naruhito, 59. The last emperor to abdicate was Kokaku, in 1817. | |
| [Read “Survival of the Throne,” a five-episode series on Japan’s royal family.] | [Read “Survival of the Throne,” a five-episode series on Japan’s royal family.] |
| “For the 30 years since my ascension to the throne, I have been fortunate that I have been able to fulfill the duty of emperor, having a deep trust, respect and affection for the people,” Akihito said in brief remarks inside a state room at the imperial palace in central Tokyo. “I deeply appreciate the Japanese people, who have accepted and supported me as their symbol.” | |
| The emperor, once regarded as a demigod, is now an entirely symbolic figure in Japan. Akihito, along with his wife, Empress Michiko, have been hugely popular among the Japanese as they have sought to bring the monarchy much closer to the people. | The emperor, once regarded as a demigod, is now an entirely symbolic figure in Japan. Akihito, along with his wife, Empress Michiko, have been hugely popular among the Japanese as they have sought to bring the monarchy much closer to the people. |
| Akihito and Michiko traveled across Japan, and were a consoling presence particularly after disasters. They visited the Kobe region after the 1995 earthquake that killed close to 6,500 people, kneeling before survivors in a break with tradition. | Akihito and Michiko traveled across Japan, and were a consoling presence particularly after disasters. They visited the Kobe region after the 1995 earthquake that killed close to 6,500 people, kneeling before survivors in a break with tradition. |
| After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed almost 16,000 people in northern Japan and caused a nuclear disaster, the emperor gave an unprecedented nationally televised address, asking people to act with compassion “to overcome these difficult times.” | After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed almost 16,000 people in northern Japan and caused a nuclear disaster, the emperor gave an unprecedented nationally televised address, asking people to act with compassion “to overcome these difficult times.” |
| In a farewell address to the departing emperor, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe noted that Japan had faced numerous challenges during Akihito’s reign. | |
| “In such cases, His Majesty the Emperor, together with Her Majesty the Empress, have stood close to the people, and encouraged the victims of disasters,” he said. “He gave people courage and hope for the future.” | |
| As the successor to Hirohito, Akihito also took on the mantle of atoning for Japan’s wartime sins. He traveled widely throughout Asia to countries that had been attacked or conquered by Japan during World War II, and spread a message of pacifism. | As the successor to Hirohito, Akihito also took on the mantle of atoning for Japan’s wartime sins. He traveled widely throughout Asia to countries that had been attacked or conquered by Japan during World War II, and spread a message of pacifism. |
| When Akihito took over the throne in 1989, it was after his father had suffered a prolonged illness. Akihito, who was treated for prostate cancer in 2003 and underwent heart surgery in 2012, may have wished to avoid subjecting his son to a period of such limbo. | When Akihito took over the throne in 1989, it was after his father had suffered a prolonged illness. Akihito, who was treated for prostate cancer in 2003 and underwent heart surgery in 2012, may have wished to avoid subjecting his son to a period of such limbo. |
| But the decision to abdicate was not the emperor’s alone to make. It required a special act of Parliament, passed in 2017. The law applies only to him and not to future emperors. | But the decision to abdicate was not the emperor’s alone to make. It required a special act of Parliament, passed in 2017. The law applies only to him and not to future emperors. |
| In his brief address, Akihito did not directly refer to the fact that he was abdicating. “I pray from my heart with the empress that the new era of Reiwa that will start tomorrow will be peaceful and fruitful,” he said, “and bring peace and happiness to the people of Japan and the world.” | |
| Although Naruhito immediately became emperor on Tuesday after the abdication, an official ceremony in which he will receive the sacred imperial regalia will be held on Wednesday morning. | |
| With the emperor’s abdication, he becomes known as the Heisei emperor, after the name given to the era in which he reigned. Imperial custom dictates that the reign of each emperor is accompanied by a name for his term in power. The new era, known as Reiwa, begins on Wednesday. |