Japanese Emperor Akihito intends to abdicate eventually, public broadcaster NHK said on Wednesday, a step unprecedented in modern Japan. Born in 1933, he was heir to Emperor Hirohito, in whose name Japan fought World War II. Under the postwar constitution, the emperor is “the symbol of the State and of the unity of the People”, with little formal power. A scientist by avocation, Akihito is the first royal heir to have married a commoner. Akihito marked the 70th anniversary of World War II’s end with an expression of “deep remorse”, a departure from his previous remarks seen by some as an effort to cement a legacy of pacifism under threat from conservative Japanese nationalists.

Source: Hindustan Times July 13, 2016 11:03 UTC