If Parliament grants Akihito’s wish to abdicate, it would be the biggest transformation of the Japanese monarchy since the war. When Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in 1964, Akihito became the patron of the then-obscure Paralympics. Only in the 19th century, when Japan’s leaders created the cult of emperor worship, did quitting become impossible. Akihito effectively asked Parliament to change the rules, though he could only do so in the most indirect words. More than half of Japan’s monarchs have vacated the throne, often for quiet retirement at Buddhist monasteries.

Source: New York Times August 08, 2016 01:02 UTC