Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration may use bipartisan bills to enable 82-year-old Emperor Akihito to retire, rather than legislation sponsored by the government, lawmakers in the administration said.

The idea is being floated among members of the administration on the premise that support for such bills based on a broad agreement by the ruling and opposition parties is more consistent with the Constitution than government-sponsored bills, the lawmakers said Thursday.

The Constitution stipulates that the Emperor's position derives from "the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power."