Japanese Emperor to abdicate in April 2019
December 03, 2017  09:37
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Japanese Emperor Akihito is set to abdicate on April 30, 2019, after a nearly 30-year reign and marking the end of an imperial era. 

Akihitos elder son Crown Prince Naruhitos succession will take place on May 1, 2019.

The 83-year-old's retirement is the first abdication by a Japanese emperor for 200 years. 

Akihito has become an enormously popular figure since succeeding his father, Hirohito, Japans wartime emperor, in January 1989.

Akihito has used his role to promote reconciliation with former victims of Japanese wartime aggression. On a visit to China in 1992, he said he deeply deplored an unfortunate period in which my country inflicted great suffering on the people of China. 

He and Empress Michiko, a commoner whom he met while playing tennis, have also had a prominent role in helping the victims of natural disasters, making several visits to the region devastated by the 2011 tsunami.

The name given to his reign Heisei (achieving peace) will be replaced when Naruhito becomes emperor at the age of 59, though a new name has yet to be decided. Akihito and Michiko will move into a new home after they vacate the imperial palace.

Akihitos retirement and the engagement of his eldest grandchild, Princess Mako, have reignited the debate about the shortage of male heirs and a possible succession crisis in an imperial line that, if legendary monarchs are included, stretches back 2,600 years.
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