The Japanese parliament passed a law Friday that will allow the emperor to abdicate.
The new law clears the way for the first abdication of an emperor in 200 years. The ailing Emperor Akihito, 83, said publicly last year that he may not be able to adequately fulfill his duties given his age. The elderly emperor has also undergone heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, Reuters reports.
The emperor is not allowed to make political statements, preventing him from publicly stating that he wants to step down, but his statements about his health and age were clear. The new law demands that the emperor abdicate within three years.
There was previously no law that would allow the emperor to step down. The Japanese government will hammer out the details, and the emperor will likely abdicate next year, handing over the 2,000-year-old Chrysanthemum throne to Crown Prince Naruhito.
Akihito, the first Japanese emperor to lead without divine right, followed in the footsteps of his father, Hirohito, who led the island nation to war in the Asia Pacific. Akihito, a humble and soft-spoken leader, has received praise for his efforts to heal old wounds and move his country beyond the Second World War.
The emperor and his wife are celebrated by the Japanese people.
“Abdication will take place for the first time in 200 years, reminding me once again of how important an issue this is for the foundation of our nation, its long history, and its future,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters after the recent vote. The last abdication of an emperor occurred in 1817 with Emperor Kokaku.
The majority of the Japanese public, according to the Kyodo News Agency, supports allowing the emperor to abdicate, with 85 percent of those surveyed stating that abdication should be legalized.
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