Japan’s Emperor Akihito on Tuesday delivered his traditional New Year address with tens of thousands of well-wishers flocking to the Imperial Palace for one of the last such occasions before he abdicates next year. Emperor Akihito, who has spent much of his nearly three decades on Japan’s throne seeking to soothe the wounds of World War II, will step down on April 30, 2019 – the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in about two centuries. Japan’s cabinet approved a bill allowing 83-year-old Emperor Akihito to abdicate in May and his elder son Crown Prince Naruhito to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.