FILE PHOTO: Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attend the annual spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace imperial garden in Tokyo, Japan April 20, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's cabinet approved a bill on Friday to allow Emperor Akihito to step down, paving the way for the first abdication by a Japanese emperor in nearly two centuries, after he said last year he feared age might make it hard to carry out his duties.
No date has been fixed for the abdication, though media reports have said it will likely take place in 2018, which would mark nearly 30 years on the throne.
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