Japan's Emperor Akihito has strongly indicated he wants to step down, saying he fears his age will make it difficult to fulfill¹ his duties.

 

日本明仁天皇强烈暗示希望退位，称担心自己年事已高，难以履行职责。
 

 

The revered² 82-year-old emperor's comments came in only his second-ever televised address to the public.

 

Emperor Akihito did not explicitly³ say he wanted to abdicate⁴ as he is barred from making political statements.

 

PM Shinzo Abe said the government would take the remarks "seriously" and discuss what could be done.

 

"Upon reflecting how he handles his official duty and so on, his age and the current situation of how he works, I do respect the heavy responsibility the emperor must be feeling and I believe we need to think hard about what we can do," he said.

 

Akihito, who has had heart surgery and was treated for prostate cancer, has been on the throne in Japan since the death of his father, Hirohito, in 1989.

 

In his 10-minute pre-recorded message, he said he had "started to reflect" on his years as emperor, and contemplate⁵ his position in the years to come.

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