Survivors of disasters in Japan and World War II battles expressed acceptance of Emperor Akihito's readiness to abdicate, in what would be a major postwar change in the Imperial system.
While the issue of a reigning emperor relinquishing the throne remains politically sensitive, elderly people in Japan showed empathy Monday for the plight of the 82-year-old Emperor.
Kazuhiro Toda, 79, said an Imperial visit in 2001 to Kobe — devastated by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake — left him "encouraged" by the Emperor's words.