Japan’s Emperor Akihito, who turned 84 yesterday (Dec 23), has said that he wants to start preparing for the dawn of a new era after he abdicates on April 30, 2019.
“Over the remaining days, as I continue to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state, I would like to make preparations for passing the torch to the next era, together with the people concerned,” he told a news conference in prepared remarks ahead of his birthday.
His annual birthday remarks came weeks after Parliament confirmed he will step down under a special one-off law, in the country’s first abdication in 200 years since that of Emperor Kokaku in 1817.
Only posthumous succession has been allowed by the Constitution in modern-day Japan after rules were changed during the Meiji era to prevent power struggles that could destabilise the imperial system.
The Emperor, who has had heart bypass surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, hinted in a rare nationally televised address last year that he wished to retire.
He worries that his age will hinder him from performing his duties fully. On May 1, 2019, his elder son, Crown Prince Naruhito, 57, will succeed him to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
The Imperial Household Agency’s grand steward, Mr Shinichiro Yamamoto, said this month that Emperor Akihito hopes to step down in a ceremony that is “as simple as possible”.
Some 3.56 billion yen (S$42.2 million, US$31.4 million) has been earmarked for processes leading up to the succession ceremony in the fiscal Budget for the year starting on April 2018, it was announced last Friday (Dec 22).
This will include costs to renovate the Takanawa residence in Tokyo, where Emperor Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, 83, will move to after he steps down.
Another 153 million yen has been earmarked as allowance for Emperor Akihito’s eldest granddaughter, Princess Mako, 26, who will marry paralegal Kei Komuro, 26, on Nov 4. The stipend is given to princesses who give up their royal status and become commoners after marriage.
Since Emperor Akihito ascended to the throne in 1989, Japan has marked Dec 23 as a national holiday. But with his stepping down, government officials said the date might be turned into a working day.
Crown Prince Naruhito’s birthday on Feb 23 will become a national holiday by law. His father will hold the title joko (retired emperor) after he abdicates.
Some worry that if Dec 23 was retained as a national holiday, it will create an impression of dual authority. Japan has marked the birthdays of past emperors with national holidays. For instance, Culture Day on Nov 3 was the birthday of Emperor Mutsuhito – posthumously, Emperor Meiji.