TOKYO (Sputnik) — Akihito ascended to the Japanese throne in 1989 after Emperor Hirohito's death. A merely ceremonial role in Japan's political system, the emperor is a symbol of the nation and of national unity according to the Japanese Constitution.
2 August 2016, 13:20 GMT
"I am worried that it will become really difficult for me to carry out in full my role as a symbol [of the nation and unity of the Japanese people]," the 82-year-old emperor said in a 10-minute televised address to the nation.
On July 13, media outlets cited a source in the Japanese government as saying that Akihito had voiced his intention to abdicate after 27 years on the throne.
