TOKYO: In a rare emotional address ahead of his abdication next year, Japanese Emperor Akihito said he took "deep comfort" that his long reign had been one of peace as he remembered the "countless lives" lost in World War II. Japan's deeply adored Emperor Akihito will become the first Japanese royal to abdicate in more than two centuries. His voice trembling as he discussed the legacy of World War II, the emperor pointed to the "countless lives" lost in the conflict, which was fought under the name of his father Hirohito, who died in 1989. "It gives me deep comfort that the Heisei Era (his reign) is coming to an end, free of war in Japan," he said. The widely adored emperor will next year become the first Japanese royal to abdicate in more than two centuries.

Source: Bangkok Post December 23, 2018 04:07 UTC