Japanese Emperor Akihito to abdicate after three decades on throne

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Emperor Akihito reported his abdication to a Shinto sun goddess in a ritual at the Imperial Palace on Tuesday, starting a day of ceremonies to end a three decade reign in which he sought to ease painful memories of World War Two and bring the monarchy closer to people.

Akihito, 85, was the first Japanese monarch to take the throne under a post-war constitution that defines the emperor as a symbol of the people without political power. His abdication is the first in two centuries. His father, Hirohito, in whose name Japanese troops fought World War Two, was considered a living deity until after Japan’s defeat in 1945, when he renounced his divinity. Akihito, together with Empress Michiko, his wife of 60 years and the first commoner to marry an imperial heir, carved out an active role as a symbol of reconciliation, peace and democracy.

“I think the emperor is loved by the people. His image is one of encouraging the people, such as after disasters, and being close to the people,” Morio Miyamoto, 48, said as he waited near a train station in western Tokyo. “I hope the next emperor will, like the Heisei emperor, be close to the people in the same way,” he said. Akihito, who has had treatment for prostate cancer and heart surgery, said in a televised address in 2016 that he feared his age would make it hard for him to carry out his duties fully.

REPORT TO THE SUN GODDESS Akihito reported his abdication in a ritual held in a sanctuary inside the palace grounds honoring the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, from whom mythology says the imperial line is descended. He was to do the same at two other sanctuaries honoring departed emperors and Shinto gods. Video aired on NHK public TV showed Akihito, wearing a dark orange traditional robe and black headress, walking slowly into the first sanctuary as a courtier in a white robe walked behind holding the train and another carried a sword. Crown Prince Naruhito would then conduct a similar ceremony, NHK said. Ahead of the ceremonies, Japanese and foreign tourists gathered near the palace after early morning rains had stopped.

The abdication will be publicly marked by a brief and relatively simple ceremony in the Imperial Palace’s prestigious Matsu no ma, or Hall of Pine. About 300 people will attend and it will be broadcast live on television. Attendees at the afternoon abdication ceremony will include Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Empress Michiko, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, as well as the heads of both houses of parliament and Supreme Court justices. Imperial chamberlains will carry state and privy seals into the room along with two of Japan’s “Three Sacred Treasures” - a sword and a jewel - which together with a mirror are symbols of the throne. They are said to originate in ancient mythology. Abe will announce the abdication and Akihito, wearing Western morning coat, will make his final remarks as emperor.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-emperor/japanese-emperor-akihito-to-abdicate-after-three-decades-on-throne-idUSKCN1S5245?il=0

House panel chairman says Barr must testify Thursday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said on Monday that Attorney General William Barr must testify before his panel on Thursday, despite Barr’s reported objections to a more aggressive format for questions planned by Democrats. “We’ve been very clear. Barr has to come. He has to testify. It’s none of the business of a witness to try to dictate to a congressional committee what our procedures for questioning him are,” Nadler told reporters. “He is supposed to show up on Thursday and we will take whatever action we have to take if he doesn’t,” he added. Justice Department officials had no immediate comment on the lawmaker’s remarks.

A Democratic congressional aide on Sunday said that Barr might skip the hearing because he objects to plans for an extra hour of questioning that would include committee lawyers, and a closed session to discuss classified sections of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian investigation report. The report covers Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and actions by President Donald Trump and his campaign.

It details a series of actions by Trump to impede the Russia probe. It did not conclude whether those actions constituted the crime of obstruction. But it did conclude that Trump and his campaign had not engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow. Barr, a Trump appointee, released a redacted version of the document on April 18.

Nadler has subpoenaed the full document and demanded that the Justice Department provide it and underlying evidence by 10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. After meeting with Justice Department officials earlier on Monday, the chairman said he expects the administration to adhere to the deadline.

Republicans on Nadler’s committee have sided with the attorney general, saying the demands are unreasonable. But Democrats say the new format is necessary to ensure that witnesses answer the questions posed. The traditional hearing format gives each lawmaker five minutes for questions. But Democrats say Trump administration officials have become adept at running out the clock. Nadler said he would not negotiate on the hearing’s format. “That’s an affair entirely for Congress … administration witnesses have to come in and be examined as the committee sees fit,” he said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-barr-nadler/house-panel-chairman-says-barr-must-testify-thursday-idUSKCN1S52B5?il=0