▶️ Japan's Emperor Akihito walked down a corridor at the Imperial Palace grounds dressed in traditional robes on Tuesday, April 30, for a ritual ahead of his abdication. After the ritual, Akihito announced his abdication in favor of his elder son in a speech attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, ending a three-decade reign. 👉The Japanese emperor announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for

Japan's Emperor Akihito has abdicated, becoming the first emperor in modern times to do so. During the historic ceremony at Tokyo's Imperial Palace, he said: "From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to the people of Japan. Starting tomorrow, the new Reiwa era begins." https://cnn.it/2GQu9gS | CNN