Japanese emperor Akihito plans to abdicate in coming years, national broadcaster reports

Japanese Emperor Akihito, who hasspent much of his time on the throne trying to heal the woundsof World War Two, intends to abdicate in a few years, publicbroadcaster NHK said on Wednesday, a step that would beunprecedented in modern Japan.

The 82-year-old monarch, who has had heart surgery and beentreated for prostate cancer in recent years, expressed hisintention to the Imperial Household Agency, NHK said.

It did not cite a reason and officials at the agency couldnot immediately be reached for comment. Akihito has been cuttingback on his official duties, handing over some of the burden tohis heir, Crown Prince Naruhito, 56.

Born in 1933, Akihito was heir to Emperor Hirohito, in whosename Japan fought World War Two.

The soft-spoken Akihito marked the 70th anniversary of World War Two's end last year with an expression of "deep remorse," a departure from his previous remarks seen by some as an effort to cement a legacy of pacifism under threat from conservative Japanese nationalists.

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"Looking back at the past, together with deep remorse overthe war, I pray that this tragedy of war will not be repeatedand together with the people express my deep condolences forthose who fell in battle and in the ravages of war," he said.

While Akihito's father was a controversial figure, Akihito"was the first post-war emperor to embrace the [pacifist]constitution and his role as a symbol of national unity,"saidKoichi Nakano, a political science professor at SophiaUniversity in Tokyo.

"He cares a great deal about war issues and reconciliation [with Asian countries]. Naruhito has made clear that he willcarry on with that," Nakano added.

Akihito has sought to deepen Japan's ties with the worldthrough visits abroad. In 1992 he became the first Japanesemonarch in living memory to visit China, where bitter memoriesof Japan's past military aggression run deep.

'Middle-class monarchy'

Emperor Kokaku, who gave up the throne in 1817, was the lastJapanese emperor to abdicate, NHK said.

Miiko Kodama, a professor emeritus at Musashi University,said the Imperial Household Law would need to be amended toallow Akihito to step down, a process that could take time anddebate in parliament.

A scientist by avocation, Akihito is the first royal heir tohave married a commoner, Michiko Shoda, the daughter of awealthy industrialist.

Under the U.S.-drafted, postwar constitution, Japan's emperor is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of thePeople," with no political power.

Akihito's efforts to draw the imperial family closer to thepeople in image, if not in fact, have played into a carefullycrafted picture of a "middle-class monarchy" that has helpedshield it from the harsh criticism suffered by flashier royalsabroad.