Overseas media reaction to Monday's recorded video address by Emperor Akihito, in which he indicated a desire to abdicate, praised his efforts at peace and reconciliation in Okinawa and parts of Asia.
Some suggested that Japan's political debate will now shift from constitutional revision to the legal changes needed to accommodate his wishes, and whether those changes could include allowing for an empress to reign.
In an online report, the BBC in London noted that the "revered 82-year-old Emperor's comments came in only his second-ever televised address to the public."