Akihito himself is a direct descendent of Japan’s first emperor Jimmu, believed to have reigned around 660 BC. The last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku in 1817 in the later part of the ...

Japan's Emperor Akihito addresses at the House of Councillors plenary session in Tokyo, Japan, on August 1. Kyodo/Reuters. Japan's left is deeply suspicious of Abe's desire for constitutional change.

Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era.

Akihito was 56 years old when he ascended the throne in January 1989 after the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito, beginning the Heisei Era. Naruhito will be 59 when he becomes emperor.

TOKYO — Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era ...

The emperor of Japan wants to abdicate his throne for health reasons, but according to the country’s Constitution, he can’t even express that wish much less fulfill it. Emperor Akihito, 82 ...

Japan’s Emperor Akihito confirmed reports on Monday, in a rare public address, that he’s thinking of stepping down from the “Chrysanthemum Throne” in the next few years due to health ...

Japan's emperor is hinting he wants to leave the Chrysanthemum Throne. 82-year-old Emperor Akihito gave a rare televised address Monday — only his second in history — in which he reflected on ...

Akihito himself is a direct descendent of Japan’s first emperor Jimmu, believed to have reigned around 660 BC. The last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku in 1817 in the later part of the ...

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are greeted at Chennai International Airport in India on December 4, 2013, after arriving from New Delhi on the second leg of their weeklong trip to India.