After 3-decades in Power, Japanese Emperor Stepping down
Japanese Emperor Akihito will end his three-decade reign on Tuesday, voluntarily stepping down due to health concerns to make way for his son in the country’s first abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne since 1817, according to reports.
Japanese Emperor Akihito will end his three-decade reign on Tuesday, voluntarily stepping down due to health concerns to make way for his son in the country’s first abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne since 1817, according to reports.
His 31-year imperial era known as Heisei, which can be translated as “achieving peace,” will come to an end with a ceremony attended by about 300 political leaders and dignitaries starting at about 5 p.m. (local time) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
The next morning, his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, 59, will ascend the throne in ceremonies also at the palace, according to Bloomberg.
Akihito, 85, helped modernize the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy. He was the first Japanese emperor to marry a commoner — Empress Michiko.
Television footage Tuesday morning in Tokyo showed Akihito, dressed in a traditional imperial outfit, walking in a palace hallway to conduct a religious ceremony. He is slated to deliver a speech in the evening.
