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Date: May 02, 2019 04:55PM
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/japan-emperor-abdication-190429012534525.htmlWhy is Akihito abdicating?
In August 2016, Akihito, citing concerns about his age and declining health, expressed his wish to abdicate while he was still well and capable.
As a constitutionally defined symbol with no political power Akihito sought understanding in a message to his people, and immediately won overwhelming public support, paving the way for the government's approval.
With Japan's Imperial House Law lacking a provision on abdication by a reigning emperor and virtually allowing only posthumous succession, the government enacted a one-time law to allow Akihito's abdication.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emperor-akihito-japanese-abdication-rituals-today-2019-04-30/Emperor Akihito has officially announced his abdication from the Japanese throne. The elaborate abdication ritual began at a Shinto shrine Tuesday morning as Japan embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era. Television images showed Akihito in a traditional robe entering the main Shrine of Kashikodokoro to report his retirement to the gods. The shine is where the goddess Amaterasu, said to be the direct ancestress of the imperial family, is enshrined.
In a palace ceremony later in the day Akihito officially announced his retirement before other members of the royal family and top government officials. His reign technically runs through midnight when his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, becomes new emperor and his "era" begins.