"Abdidcation of an Emperior: Breaking the Wall of Conformity"

Written by Novia Meizura- Research and Development ISAFIS

It was on 1817 when Japanese Emperor Kkaku decided to step down from his position, handing the great Chrysanthemum Throne to his fourth son, Emperor Nink. Today, two hundred years after a complete absence of abdication, there is a sign that this particular scene of history would be repeated in the near future. 

The current Emperor of Japan, Akihito, delivered a surprising remarks last year on his desire to abdicate, suggesting that his age and health condition might hinder him from fulfilling his duty as the symbol of the state. The idea of renunciation undoubtedly did not get an instant approval from Japanese government, as the emperor is supposed to be sitting on the throne until his last breath. 

Question then arises on the possibility of breaking the wall of conformity that has been standing for nearly two centuries. This article would answer the question through examination of three different aspects of emperor abdication in Japan: 1) historical, 2) political, and 3) social.

Using historical lens, abdication was not a rare practice in Japanese Empire before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. During that time, half of the 124 former Japanese emperors had abdicated long before their death, as many of them acceded the throne when they were in the early age. The emperors who decided to pass the throne to their successor would be given the title of Daij Tenn, or Jk in short. After retiring, Jk would still hold a considerable authority to exercise their power through the newly sitting emperor. This coexistence is said to create a harmful dual-power system in the Japanese empire. 

However, in many cases, the retiring Japanese emperors entered the Buddhist monastic community instead to practice Dharma and become a monk. These former emperors are called Daij H. This system lasted until major political changes were brought into existence in the era of Emperor Meiji.

Moving on to the political aspect, Meiji Restoration of 1868 had brought visible changes in the political matters and become the beginning of the modern era in Japan. One of the earliest tasks of the new government was to unite Japan under a central government.

Before Emperor Meiji, the former emperors were resided in Kyoto while effective government authority was conducted in Tokyo, thus reducing the visibility of the emperors and their role on state affairs. Emperor Meiji then restored imperial rule by moving the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo. Other than that, Meiji Restoration also led to the adoption of Meiji Constitution that would later be revised as Postwar Constitution after the World War II. 

Under this fundamental law of Japan, unfortunately, there is no provision regarding abdication of an emperor. The current legal framework called Imperial Household Law only allows posthumous succession, which implies that it is impossible for an emperor to abdicate unless revision is enacted in the law. 

There has been no abdication of an emperor happening since the Meiji Restoration, thus, Japanese government is unprepared for the sudden statement of abdication by the current emperor, Akihito. However, it is still possible that Imperial Household Law could be revised in the future.

On the social aspect, we would take a look at the general response of the public on the matter of emperor abdication. Although there has been a debate going on between the conservative supporters of Liberal Democratic Party that avoid permanent changes on the law of succession and opposition Democratic Party which support the idea of permanent change, general public is highly supportive on allowing the current emperor to abdicate. 

This can be shown from the survey conducted among 3000 people aged 18 or older in Japan that resulted in 68% saying Imperial Household Law should be revised to allow abdication of the future emperors, 25% proposing that abdication should be given only on one-off basis, and the rest stating disagreement towards abdication. This could be translated as 93% of general public saying yes for allowing abdication.

Recently, Shinzo Abe's cabinet had approved a one-off abdication bill that would allow Emperor Akihito to retire, but it would not be applicable to the next sitting emperors. The bill had been sent to the parliament to undergo further legislative process. This would lead us to the conclusion that Japan is currently adjusting the regulation of abdication to become slightly more flexible. 

Therefore, reflecting from the history that abdication used to be common in Medieval Japan, the political aspect of Japan that allows changes in legislation, and the social condition that supports abdication, it can be inferred that it remains possible for the current emperor of Japan to break the wall of conformity that has been standing for two centuries long. (Novia Meizura)

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https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2017/05/ff55a734ecff-most-japanese-back-permanent-abdication-system-for-emperors-survey.html