Pope Benedict XVI did it. Dutch Queen Beatrix did it. So why is it so hard for Japan's elderly Emperor to abdicate?
NHK reported last month that Emperor Akihito, 82, wanted to abdicate "in a few years," something unprecedented in modern Japan.
Ordinary Japanese sympathize with his apparent desire to hand over the throne to Crown Prince Naruhito, but the idea faces stiff opposition from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative base.