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Japan's Emperor Akihito to abdicate on April 30, 2019
Associated Press ^ | Nov 30, 2017 10:36 PM EST | Mari Yamaguchi

Posted on 11/30/2017 8:35:06 PM PST by Olog-hai

Japan’s much admired Emperor Akihito plans to abdicate on April 30, 2019, at age 85 in the first such abdication from the Chrysanthemum Throne in about 200 years, the government said Friday.

Akihito’s elder son Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend the throne a day later, on May 1, 2019, beginning a new as yet unnamed era.

The decision was made Friday at a meeting of the Imperial House Council, which included politicians, judicial officials and imperial family members.

Akihito expressed his apparent wish to abdicate in 2016, citing his age and health.

Formal Cabinet approval of the decision is due on Dec. 8, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. …

(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Japan
KEYWORDS: abdication; akihito; emperor; naruhito
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1 posted on 11/30/2017 8:35:06 PM PST by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

why plan it? who knows if he will be alive to abdicate by then, just do it now. most times people plan to step down from some job or position they already have in their mind and are just phoning it in for the remainder of the time.


2 posted on 11/30/2017 8:38:03 PM PST by b4me (God Bless the USA)
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To: b4me

Likely to give the nation time to prepare for the transition and to plan for the pomp and circumstance (public celebration).


3 posted on 11/30/2017 8:41:56 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj ("It's Slappin' Time !")
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To: Olog-hai

So as I understand it, Hirohito became known as the Emperor Showa after he died, taking the name of the era in which he ruled. Does this renaming also apply when an emperor abdicates instead of dying, and what will Akihito be known as?


4 posted on 11/30/2017 8:47:54 PM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Olog-hai

Quitter.


5 posted on 11/30/2017 8:50:28 PM PST by CharleysPride (Vaya Con Dios Eli, great career, man. Ole Miss still sucks, of course.)
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To: Olog-hai

I still want to know why the old good Pope mysteriously went away and we got the new socialist faggot.

I think that’s still hasn’t been resolved and it bothers me.


6 posted on 11/30/2017 8:50:28 PM PST by gaijin (Basically Obama lawyers would blatantly make up some totally groundless allegation against a fat cas)
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To: Olog-hai

Guess I’d better update the old resume.


7 posted on 11/30/2017 8:52:22 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: b4me
why plan it? who knows if he will be alive to abdicate by then, just do it now.

The Japanese have the highest life expectancy of any industrialized nation.

8 posted on 11/30/2017 9:01:27 PM PST by montag813
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To: montag813

Those Japanese.

Always expecting something.

If they aren’t expecting summer, then they’re expecting Godzilla.

I say we send em a case of Miller beer. It’s the high life of beer, so maybe they’re expecting it.


9 posted on 11/30/2017 9:05:53 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: montag813

Yes but what is their birth rate?


10 posted on 11/30/2017 9:06:13 PM PST by Empireoftheatom48 (God did help the Republic, can we keep it.)
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To: gaijin

> I still want to know why the old good Pope mysteriously went away and we got the new socialist faggot. <

That’s a great question. I’ve often wondered about that myself. It doesn’t matter who is the Emperor of Japan. Or who is the Queen of England, for that matter. All those folks do is cut ribbons and wave at crowds.

But the Pope still matters. And I find it very odd that Benedict - who resigned for reasons of health four years ago - seems to be just fine today.


11 posted on 11/30/2017 9:13:53 PM PST by Leaning Right
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

The current period is called Heisei (literally means the peaceful era). It will end when Akihito abdicates, but I don’t know if he’ll be named with that name.


12 posted on 11/30/2017 9:15:40 PM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Olog-hai
I happened to be living in Japan when Hirohito snuffed it, a stately little avuncular fellow who was almost certainly in on the planning for WWII according to historian David Bergamini. He skated on that one - we pretended otherwise and instead hung Tojo, who was not, but had it coming for a myriad of other reasons. Took one for the Emp, did Tojo.

Hard to believe it's been almost 30 years. I will simply say to the AP, who appear to believe otherwise, that the chances of a female succeeding to the Imperial throne are a fraction of the size of the tiniest quantum particle. Not happening.

13 posted on 11/30/2017 9:29:15 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Empireoftheatom48
Yes but what is their birth rate?

1.5. Way under replacement rate. It's been low for a long time though. In 1960 it was 2.0, which is almost exactly replacement rate. By comparison, the US is officially at 1.8 today (which doesn't take immigration into account, legal or otherwise), and was 3.7 in 1960.

14 posted on 11/30/2017 9:37:14 PM PST by zeugma (I always wear my lucky red shirt on away missions!)
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To: Olog-hai

Very interesting. I’m curious to see how all of this will affect the current Crown Princess Masako. She was very popular when she married the Crown Prince and then gradually disappeared and became a recluse, avoiding public engagements with rumors of anxiety from the pressures of royal life and mental illness.


15 posted on 11/30/2017 10:32:57 PM PST by ZagFan
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To: blueunicorn6

As the song says, they’ll be back in the high life again.

Oh yeah, they’re expecting it. Totally.


16 posted on 11/30/2017 11:30:00 PM PST by TXBlair (We will not forget Benghazi.)
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To: Billthedrill

“I happened to be living in Japan when Hirohito.......”

Way way back in the day my step Grandfather whom was originally from Switzerland taught Hirohito French lessons when he was a young lad. I believe my Aunt has at least one correspondence letter from Hirohito that she inherited when he passed. According to my Mother the letter was from just a few years before the war in which Hirohito expressed concern about US /Japan tensions.


17 posted on 12/01/2017 4:01:49 AM PST by DAC21
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To: Billthedrill
<"Took one for the Emp, did Tojo."

Well, if Tojo really believed in the mutant strain of Bushido that he was foisting on everyone else, then it was his duty to take one for the Emp.

18 posted on 12/01/2017 4:17:55 AM PST by Flag_This (Liberals are locusts.)
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To: blueunicorn6
"I say we send em a case of Miller beer."

Dilly! Dilly!

19 posted on 12/01/2017 4:20:29 AM PST by Flag_This (Liberals are locusts.)
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To: Empireoftheatom48
Yes but what is their birth rate?

Who cares? They don't. Robotics companies like FANUC are automating EVERYTHING. Japan doesn't need or want any immigrants, unlike our ridiculous obsession with propping up the birthrate to "support social security," as if those unskilled, illiterates will do a thing to bolster it, and drain the welfare system by hundreds of billions.

20 posted on 12/01/2017 5:55:06 AM PST by montag813
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