Akihito stopped short of saying outright that he wanted to abdicate, which could be interpreted as interfering in politics.
Japan's
Emperor Akihito waves to well-wishers who gathered at the Imperial
Palace to mark his 82nd birthday in Tokyo, Japan, December 23, 2015.
Japanese Emperor Akihito,
82, said in a rare video address to the public on Monday that he
worried that age may make it difficult for him to fully carry out his
duties.
In nationally televised remarks, Akihito
also said there were limits to reducing the emperor's duties as the
"symbol of the state", the status accorded to the monarch under Japan's
post-war constitution.
Public broadcaster NHK
reported last month that Akihito, who has had heart surgery and been
treated for prostate cancer, wanted to step down in a few years - a move
that would be unprecedented in modern Japan.
Once
considered divine, the emperor is defined in the constitution as a
symbol of the state and the unity of the people, and has no political
power.
Akihito stopped short of saying outright that he wanted to abdicate, which could be interpreted as interfering in politics.
"When
I consider that my fitness level is gradually declining, I am worried
that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol
of the state with my whole being, as I have done until now," he said.
An English translation of his remarks was issued by the Imperial Household Agency, which manages his affairs.
Akihito
is said to feel strongly that an emperor's full performance of his
duties is integral to his constitutional role, experts say.
Opinion
polls show the vast majority of ordinary Japanese sympathise with the
emperor's desire to retire, but this would need legal changes.
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