As I am now more than 80 years old and there are times when I feel various constraints such as in my physical fitness, in the last few years I have started to reflect on my years as the Emperor, and contemplate on my role and my duties as the Emperor in the days to come.
Advertisement
The first was in March 2011, following the triple quake, tsunami, nuclear disaster devastation.
Emperor Akihito – meaning shining pinnacle of virtue – is the 125th Emperor of Japan and a direct descendant of Japan’s first emperor Jimmu, circa 660 BC.
Since the current constitution does not include provisions for succession while the monarch is still alive, the emperor is expected to avoid any direct reference to an abdication. But he left little doubt that he wanted to pursue that course, describing the downside of having an emperor too old to perform his duties and dismissing alternatives as impractical.
“It felt as if the emperor were saying “Please hurry”.
The Republican presidential hopeful is aiming to boost jobs and make the country more competitive on a global stage by cutting business taxes, reducing regulations and increasing domestic energy production.
“I am anxious that it will become really hard for me to carry out in full my role as a symbol [of the nation and unity of the Japanese people]”, the 82-year-old emperor said in a 10-minute televised address to the nation. But Akihito seemed to dismiss this idea, which he noted would not “change the fact that the emperor continues to be emperor until the end of his life”.
The Imperial Household Agency (IHA), which oversees the affairs of the emperor and his family, has declined to comment on Monday’s expected address by Akihito. But in doing so, the implications of an Imperial abdication to the emperor’s position as a “symbol of the state” under the Constitution should be carefully considered.
Akihito will be the first Japanese emperor in about 200 years to give up the throne.
With Akihito apparently rejecting a regency, the only options would appear to be revising the Imperial Household Law or enacting a special law allowing him to abdicate, said Naotaka Kimizuka, an expert in monarchies at Kanto Gakuin University.
“I think we have to thoroughly think what we can do to accommodate his concerns, taking into consideration the emperor’s age and the current burden of official duties”, he said.
The speech was widely interpreted as a call to Japanese politicians to pave the way for his abdication, which is now not allowed under law. But an Imperial abdication has not taken place since Emperor Kokaku in 1817.
Advertisement
Palace officials quickly denied the report, because the emperor is not supposed to say anything that would cause a change to the existing system, including his constitutional status. At the same time, in a nation and in a world which are constantly changing, I have continued to think to this day about how the Japanese Imperial Family can put its traditions to good use in the present age and be an active and inherent part of society, responding to the expectations of the people.
