Japan’s emperor receives historic permission to abdicate throne

Japan’s parliament on Friday passed a law that will allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate. The 83-year-old monarch would be the first to leave the Chrysanthemum Throne in 200 years. Akihito first expressed his wish to step down in August due to his health and old age. He has undergone both heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer. The new law states the abdication, which applies only to Akihito and not to future emperors, must take place in the next three years. Akihito’s 57-year-old son, Crown Prince Naruhito, is set to take over the throne. Japan’s succession rules currently allow only men from the paternal bloodline to assume the throne.

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