The revered ruler did not use the word abdicate in his 10-minute pre-recorded speech, but did strongly indicate that he wants to hand over his duties.
Advertisement
But Abe’s right-wing supporters are not in favor of letting Akihito abdicate, out of step with the majority of the Japanese public, who would support his decision.
Emperor Akihito said: “When I consider my age of over 80, as well as my gradually deteriorating physical condition despite being luckily healthy at this moment, I am concerned about being able to fulfil my duties as a symbol with the utmost efforts, as I have done so far”.
DW answers some of the questions regarding the Japanese monarch and his potential succession. Akihito pointed out he was speaking in his personal capacity, and not as the emperor.
“Changing that will reflect the reality of Japanese society first of all, the way that nearly all people here feel about working and life and career building”, said Robert Campbell, a University of Tokyo professor and expert on Japanese history and culture.
“His majesty the emperor hints at abdication”, read a two-page extra edition by the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun daily. He has repeatedly said he respects Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution and is committed to his status as the symbol and the unity of the people, not the sovereign. His responsibilities mainly include performing official ceremonial duties.
Ever since my accession to the throne, I have carried out the acts of the Emperor in matters of state, and at the same time I have spent my days searching for and contemplating on what is the desirable role of the Emperor, who is designated to be the symbol of the State by the Constitution of Japan.
He has ventured to a number of locales that saw intense fighting, including Okinawa at home and Saipan, Palau, and the Philippines overseas, offering prayers for the souls of all the dead and not just Japanese. He appears to have taken pains to keep his distance from emperor-worshipping conservatives and historical revisionists who have contributed to hard relations with neighboring China and South Korea, which suffered under Japan’s wartime and colonial policies. When Akihito’s predecessor Hirohito died in 1989, weeks of heavy mourning ensured, bringing society, as Akihito said in his speech, to a “standstill”.
A recent survey in Japan showed 86 percent of citizens thought abdication should be legalized as an option for Akihito or his successors.
Japanese law, which says an emperor serves until death, makes no provision for abdication.
Prince Akishino also called for a debate on whether a retirement age should be set for the Emperor in 2011, but it did not result in a law change.
“It occurs to me from time to time to wonder whether it is possible to prevent such a situation”, said the emperor.
He observed that current law permits the establishment of a regent to fill the emperor’s place, but he described that as a poor substitute because “the emperor continues to be the emperor till the end of his life”.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that his government will take the emperor’s remarks seriously.
Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito may be heir to one of the world’s oldest monarchies, but he is not shy about knocking the institution he represents or his country’s warring past.
Advertisement
Japan’s current law only allows males to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne. Fifty-six-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito is next in line for the throne.
