AT AGE 82, and in declining health, the emperor of Japan, Akihito, indicated in a televised address on August 9 that he is contemplating abdication from the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy. In itself, that would seem unremarkable news, particularly outside Japan. In the postwar era, the Chrysanthemum Throne has been drained of almost all of its political potency, thanks largely to a constitution written by the Americans after World War II. Thus was Akihito’s father, Emperor Hirohito, transformed before the world from a symbol of Japanese militarism—and, to the Japanese, a living god—to a quiet, meek old man with an interest in marine biology.
+ AGING: Emperor Akihito had heart surgery in 2012 and has been treated for prostate cancer. In his televised address, he said his fitness level was gradually declining.
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Akihito has largely maintained that apolitical image, and he is widely respected. For that reason, in a society that is also aging, his desire to step down at some point will probably be viewed as reasonable, though Japanese law doesn’t deal with the prospect of imperial abdication. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said “considering his majesty’s age, the burden of his official duties and his anxieties, we must think carefully about what can be done.”