Tokyo — Emperor Akihito, who has spent much of his nearly three decades on Japan’s throne seeking to soothe the wounds of the Second World War, will step down on April 30, 2019 — the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in about two centuries. The 10-member Imperial Household Council chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and including lawmakers, royals and supreme court justices, agreed on the timing in a meeting on Friday. The government was required by law to hear the council’s views before formally deciding the date, most likely next week. The octogenarian Akihito will be succeeded by his heir, Crown Prince Naruhito. "This is the first abdication by an emperor in 200 years and the first under the [post-war] constitution," Abe told reporters after announcing the panel’s recommendation. "I feel deep emotion that today, the opinion of the Imperial Household Council was smoothly decided and a big step was taken toward the imperial succession." Once considered divine, Japan’s emperor...
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