- Japan’s Emperor Akihito formally stepped down on April 30, 2019, the first abdication for 200 years in the world’s oldest monarchy.
- Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne, three decades after he succeeded his father, the wartime emperor Hirohito.
- In his last public address as emperor, Akihito handed over the symbols of power and thanked the public for their support during his 30-year reign.
- The 85-year-old was given permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his age and declining health.
- He is the first Japanese monarch to stand down in more than 200 years.
- A day after his father became the first monarch to abdicate the imperial throne of Japan in more than two centuries, the new emperor, Naruhito, on May 1, 2019 became new emperor and received the sacred imperial regalia that represents his rightful succession to the world’s oldest monarchy.
- With new emperor, a new era – called Reiwa, meaning order and harmony -begins in Japan’s unique calendar.
