Mototsugu Akashi, an 83-year-old retiree in Tokyo, received a call at around 10 p.m. on July 21 at home from the most unexpected, unlikely caller: Emperor Akihito.
Akashi was surprised even though he has been a friend of the Emperor's since childhood. Akashi couldn't remember ever receiving a call from the Emperor, who was 82 at the time, after he ascended the Imperial throne in 1989.
During their 10-minute conversation, the Emperor explained his view on one of the hottest political topics right now in Japan: his wish to abdicate soon due to his advanced age, and how the Imperial system should be reformed for him and his successors.