The government and the Japanese Imperial House Agency agreed on Friday to mark April 30, 2019 as the most propitious date for the abdication of Akihito, media reports said. It will be the first resignation from the throne of a living emperor in two centuries, Efe news reported. A meeting here between representatives of the government, the Imperial House and Japanese legal experts decided on the timetable for the abdication after the emperor expressed his desire to leave office.

Emperor Akihito  Pic/ AFP