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| Crown Prince Naruhito and Emperor Akihito |
The government has set the date of Crown Prince
Naruhito’s accession to the Imperial Throne and the beginning of a new
era for January 1, 2019, the Imperial Household Agency announced Wednesday.
The
Emperor, who signaled his wish for abdication in a video message last
August, will step down on Dec. 31, 2018, closing the current Heisei era
of his reign at its 30th year.
The government considers it
desirable to start the new era at the same time as a new calendar year
to minimize the impact of the era change on people’s daily lives, the
sources said.
Within the government, the end of 2018 had been
widely regarded as a possible date for the 83-year-old Emperor’s
abdication since he, in the closely watched video released on Aug. 8,
noted that the Heisei era will reach the 30th year in 2018.
At a
press conference on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga
said the government is “past consideration and is preparing for transition” the timing of Imperial
succession at the moment.
The next era name will be
announced before Emperor Akihito's birthday November 23, 2018 in order to facilitate preparations for the name
change, if planned abdication legislation is enacted during the ordinary
session of the Diet from Jan. 20, the sources said.
The
government hopes to present the special legislation to enable the
current Emperor’s abdication around a string of national holidays from
late April to early May after upcoming talks between the ruling and
opposition parties on the issue.
AP, Jiji Press, Daily Yomiuri
