Japan's parliament passed the law on Friday allowing Emperor Akihito to abdicate and his son Crown Prince Naruhito to descend to the Chrysanthemum Throne
In a historic move, the Diet passed a law on Friday allowing Japan’s Emperor Akihito to abdicate, resulting in the first abdication in nearly two centuries and the accession of his son Crown Prince Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Under the new law that was passed by the Upper House, the abdication must take place within three years, according to the Associate Press.
Akihito, 83, who has had heart surgery and undergone treatment for prostate cancer, in a rare television address last August, said that he feared age might make it hard for him to continue to fulfil his duties.
The soft spoken and humble Akihito, who has received praise for his efforts to soothe the wounds of World War II, fighting in his father Hirohito’s name, will be succeeded by son, Crown Prince Naruhito, 57.
Under Japan’s constitution, the Emperor is designated as “the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people” but does not have any governmental powers and is not allowed to participate in political activity.
The law, which applies only to Akihito, included a resolution to debate whether female royals should be allowed to stay in the family after marriage but did not touch on the controversial topic of permitting women to inherit. “I believe we will look into all these issues rather broadly,” said Koichi Hagiuda, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary at a news conference.
The government had briefly discussed revising the law to permit women to succeed the throne in 2005, due to the lack of male heir to Naruhito and the belief that the monarchy should move on irrespective of their gender. This was strongly opposed by conservatives, and the plan was dropped after Naruhito’s younger brother, Fumihito, gave birth to a son.
The imperial family has had an unbroken succession of male heirs since the last 1,500 years at least.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose ultra-conservative government supports male-only succession, said that “Abdication will take place in 200 years, reminding me once again of how important an issue this is for the foundation of our nation, its long history, and its future”.
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