Japan's Emperor Indicates He Is Ready to Step Down
- Akihito, 82, has undergone successful heart bypass surgery
- Abdication would require a change in the Imperial House Law
Japan's Akihito Signals Desire to Abdicate
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Japan’s Emperor Akihito, head of the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy, said in a televised message he was concerned that it would become difficult for him to carry out his duties, weeks after reports that he had expressed a desire to abdicate.
"I am now more than 80 years old and there are times when I feel various constraints such as in my physical fitness," the 82-year-old said in his second such broadcast message to the nation. "I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state with my whole being as I have done until now."