Final Report for Abdication

Experts’ Conference on Lightening Burden of Emperor’s Official Works, a private consulting organization of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, submitted its final report to Abe on Friday. The report recommended that retired Emperor should entirely retreat from all official activities of the state symbol, leaving them to new Emperor. The abdication will only be applied to current Emperor Akihito and Akihito will be titled Joko after his retirement. Emperor will not be a lifetime title.

According to the final report, retired Emperor will be respected as much as incumbent Emperor, even he will be titled as new name for retired Emperor. Retired Empress will be called Jokogo. On the top of successor’s list will be Akishinonomiya Fumihito, younger brother of new Emperor, or current Crown Prince, Naruhito. He will be titled as Koshi, and called Your Highness Koshi Akishinonomiya.

There are three types of works of Emperor, acts in matters of state determined in Constitution of Japan, official works based on his status as the state symbol and other activities such as academic study or rituals in Imperial House. Official works as the state symbol include participation in opening ceremony of Diet session, appointment of Ministers, visiting foreign countries, attending memorial ceremony for war victims or visiting devastated area in great earthquake.

Those official works will be succeeded by new Emperor Naruhito after the retirement. The works for Crown Prince will be succeeded by Koshi Akishinonomiya Fumihito. So, Akishinonomiya is going to owe responsibility as Crown Prince in addition to his traditional roles. Naruhito has been focusing his works on environmental issues including water preservation, problems of children and aged people, generating friendship with foreign countries and progress of domestic industry or technology. Fumihito has several annual events like National Sports Festival, National Urban Greening Festival or National High School Culture Festival. It is a great problem how to sort out those events.

The final report did not refer to why the abdication of Akihito should be treated as a special example without changing Imperial House Law which was a requirement of Constitution of Japan. One of the members of the conference confessed that they did not discussed it, because making special law had been a requirement of Prime Minister’s Official Residence. The conference put higher priority on Prime Minister’s opinion than on provision of Constitution.

“The Imperial Throne shall be dynastic and succeeded to in accordance with the Imperial House Law passed by the Diet,” the Constitution clearly determines. Receiving unusual request of abdication from Emperor Akihito, Abe administration again violates Constitution of Japan to make the state basis more nominal.