Japan lower house OKs bill allowing emperor to abdicate

TOKYO — A bill allowing the 83-year-old emperor to abdicate has cleared the more powerful chamber of Japan’s parliament, setting the stage for his elder son Crown Prince Naruhito to succeed the Chrysanthemum throne.

The bill, approved unanimously Friday by the lower house, now moves to the upper house for enactment expected next week.

An abdication, which under the bill takes place within three years, will be Japan’s first in 200 years.

Emperor Akihito expressed his apparent wish to abdicate last summer, citing his age and health and reviving a debate on the imperial succession and the role of female members amid concern of shrinking royal population.

The government has avoided divisive issues including whether women should be included in the current male-only succession.

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The Associated Press