Emperor’s video address to be broadcast at 3 p.m. on Monday

The cynic in me thinks that the message is being taped, so that there is no chance the emperor goes off script and says what he would really like to say. It sounds to me like the Imperial Household or whatever they are called basically treat the royal family like their slaves. I know that is a bit harsh, but the way they decide everything that they can say and do, well.

“We believe that having the emperor’s feelings heard carefully is most important,”

I think Mark is right, but it will be an important moment historically, so I could understand the caution to a point

In 2016, I doubt the vast majority of the population will be shocked, shocked that the Emperor wants to move on. This is all about the nationalistic old school always thinking they know better, but in reality, don't have clue. Most Japanese will wish him well or at the least just shrug their shoulders.

It's unbelievable that in this day and age, an Emperor has to have "permission" to abdicate ! He's done whatever duties he's been "allowed" to do - he is NOT in good health and I really can't understand why he has to "ask permission" in order to leave his place to his son...

People live longer now, in many cases past their ability to drive let alone be the Emperor. It is special kind of cruelness that pushed Akihito-san to stay on in his current role. Let the middle aged guy take over.

I have admired Akihito for his rebuke of the naked Abe nationalism we see almost everyday in Japan. Like his new Defence minister denying Nanjing. Perhaps if he retires he can be more vocal about Abe taking Japan back to the 1930s.

Of course the Emperor speech could be postponed one week hence from Monday 8th and be broadcast at noon.

If they did that, it would certainly be interesting the fallout from that timing.

the man is tired, let him relax and pass on the duties to his son. He can quit and it gets passed on, it's not like it's a crisis. The law doesn't explicitly say he can but that's a problem for Abe.

Probably the single simplest decision to make and somehow they'll make it difficult !?

Poor soul in many ways. I reiterate my earlier comments regarding birds in guided...sorry should read gilded... cages. Spell check was smarter than me this time. And who exactly are these shadowy ' household agency' people?

t's unbelievable that in this day and age, an Emperor has to have "permission" to abdicate ! He's done whatever duties he's been "allowed" to do - he is NOT in good health and I really can't understand why he has to "ask permission" in order to leave his place to his son...

He doesn't have to ask permission. Most of the issues involve post-abdication status. If you look at examples of British royalty abdicating you will see that it's more than the emperor or king saying "Hey guys! I quit!"

I suppose Americans can be excused for not knowing how royalty works, but if you don't know, you should look up some European examples before commenting. Doubtless there will be Japanese quirks in this case, but by definition royals are not treated like ordinary people.

@bullfighter

I suppose Americans can be excused for not knowing how royalty works

But then I am NOT American - I am VERY European with even "blue blood" in my family...

Well, the Americans do have their own royalty - Sarah Ferguson has practically spent more time in USA than UK.

Nobody can know for sure what's going on here. But if it is the case that tradition-bound reactionaries in the IHA and elsewhere are the main opponents of Akihito's abdicating and living out the remainder of his life as an ex-emperor, that's a bit ironic. You'd think reactionaries would want Akihito off the throne, period. Nativist reactionaries in Japan dislike the man because they feel he was unduly influenced as a boy by Elizabeth Gray Vining, the white American Quaker educator who served as his official tutor from 1946 to 1950.

No need for that as the Law already allows the Crown Prince to stand in for the Emperir when he is ill or for other reasons unable to perform duties.

And, there is no need to go back to 1817 for an example of this. The Showa Emperor (aka Hirohito). He became Emperor in 1926 but had been Regent since 1921 acting in place of his father.

Give the guy a break.... he's 82 and not in the best of health. He just wants some time for his wife and him to relax and spend quality time together. Let the kid take over the rein/reign's.

Good thing it's taped and not live. He might let slip again that some of his ancestors came from the Korean peninsula. Not something The Agency wants broadcasted.

I think despite the skeptics here, I DO think Emperor Akihito does want to abdicate. And with good reason: he personally experienced his father's decline in health during the 1980's, and didn't want the country to undergo that experience again.