Emperor Akihito Plays Defense on Japan's Constitution

On Monday, Japan’s Emperor Akihito signaled again that he would like to step down from the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy. Yet his veiled speech held a larger message for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: that he should proceed carefully before revising Japan’s postwar constitution.

In keeping with his apolitical role, the 82-year-old Akihito did not say straight out he wished to abdicate. Existing laws have no provision for a living emperor to give up his throne. Instead, he spoke of “a decline in my fitness level because of my advancing age.”