Japan’s Emperor Akihito has made a rare television address to the nation, expressing his fears for his health and his ability to carry on as emperor, and hinting that he wanted to stand down.
In the 10-minute pre-recorded speech, the 82-year-old monarch said he wanted an orderly imperial family succession, stopping short of saying he intended to abdicate.
Public broadcaster NHK had reported last month that Akihito, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, wanted to step down in a few years – a move that would be unprecedented in modern Japan.
Once considered divine, Japan’s emperor is defined in the constitution as a symbol of the “unity of the people” and has no political power.
Before the announcement, it was thought unlikely he would state outright that he wanted to step down, which could have been interpreted as interfering in politics.
In his taped address, Akihito said: “When I consider that my fitness level is gradually declining, 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.
“There are times when I feel various constraints, such as in my physical fitness.”
He did, however, moot the idea of appointing a regent who would be able to carry out the duties the emperor was not specifically able to to do. He appeared to suggest that in such a case the emperor would remain in title at least.
“It is conceivable that a regent could be appointed,” he said.
Akihito is said to feel strongly that an emperor’s full performance of his duties is integral to his constitutional role as a symbol of the people’s unity, according to monarchy experts.
Opinion polls have shown the vast majority of Japanese people sympathise with the emperor’s desire to retire, but legal changes would be needed to allow him to do so.
Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, made a swift response to the speech, saying the government would take the emperor’s remarks seriously.
“Considering the emperor’s duties, as well as his age and the burden [of the job], we have to firmly look at what we can do,” he said.
The idea of the emperor standing down has sparked opposition from Abe’s conservative base, who worry that debate on the imperial family’s future could widen to the topic of letting women inherit and pass on the throne, anathema to traditionalists.
Akihito has been cutting back on official duties recently, his place taken by his heir, 56-year-old crown prince Naruhito.
Naruhito has one daughter. Since only males can inherit the Chrysanthemum throne, the title after Naruhito would pass to his brother, Prince Akishino, and then to nine-year-old nephew Hisahito.
Others worry that devoting political energy to discussing abdication could sidetrack Abe’s push to revise the US-drafted pacifist constitution, seen by many conservatives as a symbol of Japan’s humiliating defeat in the second world war.
Akihito ascended the throne after the death of his father, Hirohito, in whose name Japan fought the war. He has sought to soothe the wounds of the conflict in Asia and tried to bring the monarchy closer to the people.
Akihito’s televised speech on Monday is only the second time he has addressed the public in such a fashion. The first was after a massive earthquake, deadly tsunami and nuclear disaster hit north-east Japan in March 2011.
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