Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako make an appearance before Japanese athletes during a team-forming ceremony ahead of the Japanese team's departure to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Issei Kato
TOKYO (Reuters) - When Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito proposed to a reluctant Masako Owada, he promised to protect her with all his might, a vow that may get tougher to keep if, as expected, his father Emperor Akihito abdicates, and the woman who has struggled to adjust to royal life becomes empress.
The 82-year-old Akihito, who with Empress Michiko has won hearts at home by championing the disadvantaged and worked to heal the wounds of World War Two abroad, hinted in a televised address on Monday that he could give up the Chrysanthemum Throne due to advancing age.
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