On this Tuesday at 17 clock local time (10 clock CEST) ends in Japan, an era: Akihito, the 125th Emperor of the country, thanks for more than 30 years from. The 85-year-old leaves his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, the chrysanthemum throne. We answer the most important questions about the change of office.
Why is this abdication so extraordinary?
Usually, the Tenno, as the emperor is called in Japan, remains in office until his death. However, Akihito asked in 2016, especially for health reasons, to be allowed to resign. The parliament allowed him in June 2017 by special law. Akihito is thus the first Japanese emperor for about 200 years, who voluntarily freed the throne for his successor.
What authority does the emperor have in Japan?
The Japanese hereditary monarchy is the oldest in the world. According to the democratic post-war constitution of 1946, the Tenno has no political power but merely assumes representative tasks. He is constitutionally a "symbol of the state and the unity of the people". When Akihito ascended the throne in 1989, he was the first monarch to do so as a god-emperor. His father Hirohito had officially renounced divinity after the Second World War.
Video analysis: Sayonara Tenno
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What are the main aspects of Akihito's tenure?
The era of Akihito is called "Heisei" (to create peace). Peace was central to the outgoing emperor. The horror of the Second World War has strongly influenced Akihito. He became an advocate of the post-war pacifist constitution - indirectly criticizing those who try to justify Japan's wartime past. He also remembered together with Empress Michiko on former battlefields of the Second World War not only of the fallen compatriots, but also of the war opponents.
In the era "Heisei" but also serious disasters fell, for example, the earthquake in Kobe in 1995, earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident in 2011 in Fukushima and the deadly sarin gas attack in 1995 on Tokyo subway through the end-time sect Aum. Also economically it went downhill during Akihito's term after years of advancement. In 2010, Japan lost its place as the second largest economy in the world to China.
What is Akihito's relationship to the Japanese people?
The emperor is popular with the Japanese with his restrained manner and his liberal attitude. The imperial couple is considered citizen-friendly. In 1991 Akihito caused a sensation when, after a volcanic eruption, he knelt down for the first time on the wooden floor of an emergency shelter. After the Fukushima catastrophe, he encouraged the Japanese with video messages. His wife Michiko is the first empress of the Asian country to come from the bourgeoisie.
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Emperor Akihito thanks: A life for peaceHow will the abdication work?
The ceremony itself only lasts about ten minutes. At 5 pm local time (10 am CEST) it starts in Matsu-no-Ma, a hall in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. A sword and a jewel are also presented as insignia of the legitimacy of a tenno.
The ceremony is attended by more than 300 people, including members of the imperial family, as well as representatives of Japan's government and parliament, high-ranking judges and regional politicians. The event will be televised live.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will announce the abdication before Akihito holds his final official address as Tenno. Formally, the 85-year-old remains emperor until midnight.
When does Naruhito take the throne and what can you expect from him?
As of May 1, Naruhito is the 126th Emperor of Japan. The formal enthronement of the 59-year-old, however, takes place in October in a more elaborate ceremony, to which foreign guests of honor are invited.
The Conservative government Abes chose the name "Reiwa" for Naruhito's era (German: "Beautiful Harmony"). For critics, this is an expression of a "return to nationalism", while others welcome the new era name as "peace". Naruhito announced in February that he would carry out the post similar to his father's: "I want to be always on the side of the people, share joy and sorrow and thus fulfill my task as a symbol".
To what extent he can actually comply with these standards remains to be seen. For example, Akihito had failed to persuade the government to make fundamental reforms, such as allowing women to assume a stronger role in the imperial family in the future and thus possibly secure the succession to the throne.
Read also the analysis of the longtime SPIEGEL correspondent Wieland Wagner: "Why Japan's emperor sacrifices his office"