Japanese Emperor announces he 'wishes to stand down' in rare video appearance

The Emperor of Japan has said that he wishes to stand down in the next couple of years, a move that is unprecedented in the country.

Emperor Akihito made the announcement in a rare video address to the country in which he said it might become difficult for him to carry out his duties to his age.

The 82-year-old has already had heart surgery and been treated for prostate cancer, but since no Japanese emperor has stood down before, no legal procedures exist and so changes would have to be made.

Once considered divine, the emperor is defined in Japan's constitution as a symbol of the "unity of the people" and has no political powers.

Many ordinary Japanese people sympathise with Emperor Akihito's desire to retire, but some conservatives who back Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are opposed to the move. This conservative base worries that debate on the imperial family's future could widen to the topic of letting women inherit and pass on the throne, something traditionalists strongly oppose.

The Japanese monarchy is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world, and records show the imperial line has been unbroken for 14 centuries.

Emperor Akihito - meaning shining pinnacle of virtue - is the 125th emperor of Japan and a direct descendant of Japan's first emperor Jimmu, whose accession to the throne is dated around 660 BC.