Amid a shortage of royals, Japan enacts law for Emperor Akihito to abdicate

Updated

Japan's parliament has passed a law allowing Emperor Akihito to become the first monarch to abdicate in 200 years.

Key points: Monarchy has shrinking royal population and few male successors.

Accession of Crown Prince Naruhito likely at end of 2018.

Laws cleared both upper and lower houses in parliament.

The 83-year-old emperor expressed his apparent wish to abdicate last August, citing old age and health.

Under the law enacted on Friday, an abdication must take place within three years, but parliament put off a debate over how to tackle the shrinking royal population, including male successors.

The law clears the way for the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in almost two centuries and the accession of his 57-year-old son, Crown Prince Naruhito, probably late next year.

Family throne up in the heir

Emperor Akihito's abdication has rekindled concerns about a shortage of heirs.

The current succession rules allow only men from the paternal bloodline and prohibit women from ascending the 2,000-year-old Chrysanthemum Throne.

Only women are forced to renounce their royal status when they marry a commoner, heating up debate for members of the royal family such as Princess Mako.

But the Prince's only child is a girl, and his younger brother Prince Akishino has two adult daughters and a 10-year-old son, Hisahito.

This means only one of the emperor's four grandchildren is an eligible heir.

After Naruhito's daughter was born, a government panel discussed the possibility of allowing female emperors, but the talk faded as soon as Hisahito was born.

The emperor, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, said in rare public remarks last year he feared age might make it hard for him to continue to fulfil his duties.

The soft-spoken emperor, the first Japanese emperor who was never considered divine, has worked for decades at home and abroad to soothe the wounds of World War II, fought in his father Hirohito's name.

Government support for emperor's new groove

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ultra-conservative government supported the current male-only succession.

In a vote televised live on local television, the upper house of parliament passed the bill with a handful of lawmakers sitting out the vote.

It cleared the more powerful lower house last week.

The government will have to hammer out the details of the abdication, including timing, but local media reports have said it is likely to take place at the end of 2018, which would mark three decades on the throne for the emperor.

Mr Abe's government avoided taking up divisive issues involving the status of female royals, which would require a time-consuming and broader overhaul of the outdated 1947 Imperial House Law.

His ruling party reluctantly agreed to adopt a non-binding attachment to the law calling for the government to study ways to improve the status of princesses, including allowing them to keep their titles so they can make up for the declining royal membership and perform some public duties.

The last emperor to abdicate was Kokaku in 1817.

AP/Reuters

Topics: world-politics, royal-and-imperial-matters, community-and-society, japan, asia

First posted</s>Tokyo: Japan's parliament on Friday passed a law allowing Emperor Akihito to abdicate, clearing the way for the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in nearly two centuries and the accession of his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, probably late next year.

Akihito, 83, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, said in rare public remarks last year he feared age might make it hard for him to continue to fulfill his duties.

The soft-spoken Akihito, the first Japanese emperor who was never considered divine, has worked for decades at home and abroad to soothe the wounds of World War Two, fought in his father Hirohito's name. He will be succeeded by Naruhito, 57.

In a vote televised live on NHK public television, the upper house of parliament passed the bill with a handful of lawmakers sitting out the vote. It cleared the more powerful lower house last week.

"Abdication will take place for the first time 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," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters after the vote.

Now the government has to hammer out the details of the abdication, including the timing, but media reports have said it is likely to take place at the end of 2018, which would mark three decades on the Chrysanthemum throne for Akihito.

The abdication, the first since 1817, appears to have support among the general population, who view it as a sign of changing times.

"In essence, the emperor is resigning, which I feel was an issue of personal thought," said Masayoshi Matsumoto, a 47-year-old animator.

"People live much longer these days. I think while on the one hand it pains him not to be able to carry out his duties properly, he may also wonder why he should have to do the job this long."

The government also has to ensure the continuity of a monarchy beset by a shortage of male heirs and shrinking pool of imperial family members. Women are not allowed to inherit the throne and leave the family upon marriage, an issue highlighted last month with the announcement that the Emperor's oldest granddaughter will marry a commoner.

The law, which applies only to Akihito and not to future emperors, included a resolution to debate letting female royals stay in the imperial family after marriage but did not touch on the controversial topic of allowing 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.

Many conservatives oppose the idea of an empress, but some Japanese think the monarchy should also move with the times on this.

"I have no problem with an empress, there are plenty of women royals ruling overseas," said Yukinori Kumakiri, 61-year-old man working for an electrical company.

"After all, the emperor is a symbol, it's not as if they really have power. They're a representative of the Japanese people and man or woman shouldn't matter."</s>Japan’s parliament on Friday passed a Bill to allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate and handover the royal duties to his son Crown Prince Naruhito, reported Reuters. The 83-year-old emperor, who has undergone a heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer in the past, had said last year that his age and ill-health were making it difficult for him to carry out his official duties.

The government will start the process of abdication soon and the handover is expected take place in December, 2018, BBC reported. However, neither Akihito’s son Naruhito nor his successors will be allowed to abdicate under the law.

“Abdication will take place for the first time 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,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, according to Reuters.

Akihito was born in 1933 when Japan was involved in World War II which had ended in its defeat. Hirohito was allowed to remain on the throne, however, he was stripped off his political powers. Akihito took over the throne after his father’s death in 1989.

Japan does not have any more eligible male heirs to the throne after Crown Prince Naruhito’s brother’s 10-year-old son, reported AP. Japan’s Parliament has been debating giving women a bigger role in the male-dominated monarchy. However, the idea is opposed by traditionalists, including Abe, the report said.</s>Akihito is the first Japanese emperor who was never considered divine. Source: Reuters

JAPAN’S parliament on Friday passed a law allowing Emperor Akihito to abdicate, clearing the way for the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in nearly two centuries and the accession of his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, probably late next year.

Akihito, 83, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, said in rare public remarks last year he feared age might make it hard for him to continue to fulfill his duties.

The soft-spoken Akihito, the first Japanese emperor who was never considered divine, has worked for decades at home and abroad to soothe the wounds of World War II, fought in his father Hirohito’s name. He will be succeeded by Naruhito, 57.

SEE ALSO: Japan: Crown prince says ready to be emperor, vows to walk in father’s footsteps

In a vote televised live on NHK public television, the upper house of Parliament passed the bill with a handful of lawmakers sitting out the vote. It cleared the more powerful lower house last week.

Now the government has to hammer out the details of the abdication, including timing, but media reports have said it is likely to take place at the end of 2018, which would mark three decades on the Chrysanthemum throne for Akihito. -Reuters</s>Japan’s parliament has passed a law allowing Emperor Akihito to become the first monarch to abdicate in 200 years, but put off a debate over how to tackle the shrinking royal population including male successors.

The 83-year-old emperor expressed his apparent wish to abdicate last August, citing his old age and health.

Under the law, an abdication must take place within three years.

The current succession rules allow only men from the paternal bloodline and prohibit women from ascending the 2,000-year-old Chrysanthemum Throne. Only women are forced to renounce their royal status when they marry a commoner.

Prime minister Shinzo Abe’s ultra-conservative government supports the male-only succession, which will make 57-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito next in line to the throne.

But Naruhito’s only child is a girl, and his younger brother Prince Akishino has two adult daughters and a 10-year-old son, Hisahito. This means only one of the emperor’s four grandchildren is an eligible heir.

After Naruhito’s daughter was born, a government panel discussed the possibility of allowing female emperors, but the talk quickly faded as soon as Hisahito was born.

Akihito’s abdication has rekindled concerns about a shortage of heirs.

Mr Abe’s government avoided divisive issues involving the status of female royals, which would require a time-consuming and broader overhaul of the outdated 1947 Imperial House Law.

His ruling party reluctantly agreed to adopt a non-binding attachment to the law calling for the government to study ways to improve the status of princesses, including allowing them to keep their titles so they can make up for the declining royal membership and perform some public duties.

The abdication law only applies to Akihito as an exception and expires in three years, a way to avoid putting future monarchs at risk of forcible abdication due to political manipulation.

Media reports have said officials are considering Akihito’s abdication at the end of 2018, when he turns 85 and marks 30 years on the throne, but no official date has been announced yet.

The 1947 Imperial House Law does not provide for abdication. The last emperor to abdicate was Kokaku in 1817.</s>Citing health issues, the 83-yr-old monarch had expressed his desire to take a back seat in '16 after 30 yrs on the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Tokyo: Japan's parliament passed a law on Friday that clears the way for its ageing Emperor Akihito to step down, in what would be the first imperial abdication in more than two centuries.

The popular 83-year-old monarch shocked the country in 2016 summer when he signalled his desire to take a back seat after nearly three decades on the Chrysanthemum Throne, citing his age and health problems.

The unexpected move presented a challenge since there was no law to deal with an emperor retiring from what is usually a job for life.

The one-off rule was passed in the last-stage upper house on Friday in a unanimous decision after the lower chamber gave its stamp of approval last week.

The abdication must take place within three years of the new law taking effect or it expires -- and it only applies to Akihito.

Japanese media have said the government is eyeing the end of 2018 as a likely timeline for his retirement.

The status of the emperor is sensitive in Japan given its 20th century history of war waged in the name of Akihito's father Hirohito, who died in 1989.

Some scholars and politicians worried that changing the law to allow any emperor to abdicate could put Japan's future monarchs at risk of being subject to political manipulation.

Akihito, who has been treated for prostate cancer and had heart surgery, is expected to step aside in favour of his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito.

There have been abdications in Japan's long imperial history, but the last one was more than 200 years ago, so politicians had to craft new legislation to make it possible.

"The one-off law is a result of political compromises, but it will become a precedent for future abdications," said Setsu Kobayashi, a constitutional expert and professor emeritus at Japan's Keio University.

Akihito was born in 1933 just as Japan was embarking on its militaristic sweep across Asia, and was 11 when the war ended in defeat.

His father was allowed to remain on the throne after Japan's defeat, but his status was downgraded from semi-devine sovereign to a figurehead with no political power.

Akihito embraced the role and tried to use it to help heal the scars of the war while remoulding one of the world's oldest monarchies for a democratic age.

"The emperor prefers the more casual image of himself as a 'symbol' of the Japanese people," Kobayashi said.

Even before he assumed the throne, Akihito broke with tradition when he married the daughter of a wealthy flour magnate in 1959, becoming the first imperial heir to wed a commoner.

The emperor and his wife Empress Michiko are seen as being the more accessible face of a monarchy that largely remains in the shadows, unlike the British royals.

The couple have frequently attended public events and console victims of natural disasters, including Japan's 2011 quake-tsunami disaster.

Akihito is officially barred from commenting on politics, but he has over the years hinted at his own anti-nationalist views.

Speaking at a memorial marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender, Akihito expressed "deep remorse" for the country's actions in World War II.

Some saw this as a rebuke to nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has pushed to change Japan's pacifist constitution and prevent Japanese from having to apologise again for the nation's warring past.

There are no more eligible male heirs after the 10-year-old son of Crown Prince Naruhito's younger brother Akishino.

Japan's centuries-old succession would be broken if that son, Hisahito, does not have a male child.

In response, Japan's parliament has called for a debate on giving women a bigger role in the male-dominated monarchy.

The idea -- including the possibility of letting women ascend the throne -- is popular among ordinary Japanese, but it is vehemently opposed by traditionalists including the current prime minister and likeminded conservatives.

Female imperial family members lose their royal status upon marriage to a commoner, a point highlighted by recent news that one of Akihito's granddaughters, Princess Mako, plans to marry her college sweetheart.</s>Akihito, who is hugely popular in Japan, will become the first emperor to abdicate in 200 years.

Once regarded divine power, the oldest monarchy of Japan will undergo another major change with the passage of the Special bill to let the current aged Emperor Akihito to abdicate the throne for his Oxford-educated son and Crown Prince Naruhito. Because the lower house approved the bill last week, it now becomes law.

The special law outlines the conditions and procedures for the abdication of 83-year-old Emperor Akihito. Abdication will occur within three years, according to the law. Akihito’s son, 57-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, is next in line. Succession runs through male members and only men may serve as emperor.

The status of the emperor is sensitive in Japan given its 20th century history of war waged in the name of Akihito’s father Hirohito, who died in 1989.

The emperor and his wife Empress Michiko are seen as being the more accessible face of a monarchy that largely remains in the shadows, unlike the British royals.

Akihito, who has been treated for prostate cancer and had heart surgery, is expected to step aside in favour of his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito. The Japanese revere him for his support of the pacifism enshrined in the nation’s postwar constitution, and his role as the nation’s consoler-in-chief during natural disasters.

Akihito’s retirement and the forthcoming engagement of his granddaughter, princess Mako – who will have to leave the imperial family after she marries – have reignited debate about the shortage of male heirs and a possible succession crisis in an imperial line some claim stretches back 2,600 years.

The idea – including the possibility of letting women ascend the throne – is popular among ordinary Japanese, but it is vehemently opposed by traditionalists including the current prime minister and like-minded conservatives.

The Abe government avoided taking up divisive issues involving the status of female royals, which would have required a time-consuming and broader overhaul of the 1947 Imperial House Law. Abe’s ruling party reluctantly agreed to adopt a non-binding attachment to the law calling for the government to study ways to improve the status of princesses, including allowing them to keep their titles so that they can make up for the declining royal membership and perform part of public duties.

Local media reported that the government eyes allowing the emperor to abdicate in December 2018, with the emperor’s 85th birthday in mind.

Mako is one of 14 women in a royal family of only 19 people. No date has been announced yet.</s>Japan’s parliament on Friday passed a law allowing Emperor Akihito to become the country’s first monarch to abdicate in 200 years, but put off a debate over how to tackle the shrinking royal population and whether to allow women to ascend the throne.

In veiled language, the 83-year-old emperor expressed his wish to abdicate last August, citing his old age and health.

Under the law enacted Friday, his abdication must take place within three years.

Current succession rules allow only men from the paternal bloodline to ascend the 2,000-year-old Chrysanthemum Throne. Women, but not men, are forced to renounce their royal status if they marry a commoner.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conservative government supports male-only succession. Akihito’s son, 57-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, is next in line.

Naruhito’s only child is a girl, and his younger brother, Prince Akishino, has two adult daughters and a 10-year-old son, Hisahito. This means only one of the emperor’s four grandchildren is an eligible heir.

After Naruhito’s daughter was born, a government panel discussed the possibility of allowing female ascension, but the talk quickly faded after Hisahito’s birth.

Akihito’s coming abdication has rekindled concerns about a shortage of heirs.

The Abe government avoided taking up divisive issues involving the status of female royals, which would have required a time-consuming and broader overhaul of the 1947 Imperial House Law.

To secure opposition support, the ruling party did agree to a non-binding attachment to the bill calling on the government to study ways to improve the status of princesses.

That could include allowing them to keep their titles so that they can make up for the declining royal membership and continue to perform some royal family public duties.

The abdication law applies only to Akihito and expires in three years, to avoid putting future monarchs at risk of forcible abdication due to political manipulation. The law was needed because the 1947 Imperial House Law does not provide for abdication.

Japanese media reports have said officials are considering having Akihito abdicate at the end of 2018, when he would turn 85 and mark nearly 30 years on the throne. No date has been announced yet.

The last emperor to abdicate was Kokaku in 1817.</s>Japan’s parliament passed a law Friday to allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate and be succeeded by his elder son, Crown Prince Naruhito, 57.

Akihito, 83, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, last summer indicated his desire to abdicate after nearly three decade on the Chrysanthemum Throne, reviving a longstanding debate in Japan over the issue of Imperial succession in the 2,000-year-old monarchy.

The abdication would be Japan’s first in 200 years. Akihito was 56 when he ascended the throne in January 1989 after the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito.

Media reports have said officials are considering the end of 2018, when Akihito turns 85, for the abdication.

In a vote televised live on NHK public television, the upper house of parliament passed the bill unanimously Friday, after the lower chamber gave its approval last week.

The abdication must take place within three years of the new law taking effect or it expires, and it only applies to Akihito.

The last Japanese emperor to abdicate was Kokaku in 1817.</s>TOKYO: Japan’s parliament passed a law Friday that clears the way for its ageing Emperor Akihito to step down, in what would be the first imperial abdication in more than two centuries.

The popular 83-year-old monarch shocked the country last summer when he signaled his desire to take a back seat after nearly three decades on the Chrysanthemum Throne, citing his age and health problems.

The unexpected move presented a challenge since there was no law to deal with an emperor retiring from what is usually a job for life—and it reignited debate about allowing women to ascend the male-only throne.

The one-off rule was passed in the last-stage upper house on Friday in a unanimous decision after the lower chamber gave its stamp of approval last week.

The abdication must take place within three years—and it only applies to Akihito.

Tokyo is eyeing the end of 2018 as a likely timeline for his retirement, Japanese media said.

The status of the emperor is sensitive in Japan given its 20th century history of war waged in the name of Akihito’s father Hirohito, who died in 1989.

Some worried that changing the law to allow any emperor to abdicate could put Japan’s future monarchs at risk of being subject to political manipulation.

Akihito, who has been treated for prostate cancer and had heart surgery, is expected to step aside in favor of his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, 57.

There have been abdications in Japan’s long imperial history, but the last one was more than 200 years ago, so politicians had to craft new legislation to make it possible.

“The one-off law is a result of political compromises, but it will become a precedent for future abdications,” said Setsu Kobayashi, a constitutional expert and professor emeritus at Japan’s Keio University.

‘Casual image’

 Akihito was born in 1933 just as Japan was embarking on its militaristic sweep across Asia, and was 11 when the war ended in defeat.

His father was allowed to remain on the throne after Japan’s defeat, but his status was downgraded from semi-devine sovereign to a figurehead with no political power.

Akihito embraced the role and tried to use it to help heal the scars of the war while remolding one of the world’s oldest monarchies for a democratic age.

Even before he assumed the throne, Akihito broke with tradition when he married the daughter of a wealthy flour magnate in 1959, becoming the first imperial heir to wed a commoner.

The emperor and his wife Empress Michiko are seen as being the more accessible face of a monarchy that largely remains in the shadows, unlike the British royals.

The couple have frequently attended public events and console victims of natural disasters, including Japan’s 2011 quake-tsunami disaster.

Akihito is barred from commenting on politics, but he has over the years hinted at his own anti-nationalist views.

Speaking at a memorial marking the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender, Akihito expressed “deep remorse” for the country’s actions in World War II.
The National Diet of Japan passes legislation allowing Emperor Akihito to abdicate. The abdication is to take place within three years.