AKIPRESS.COM - The future of Japan’s monarchy was thrown into confusion on Thursday when the national broadcaster reported that Emperor Akihito was planning to abdicate after 27 years on the throne, The Telegraph said.

No Japanese monarch has abdicated for almost two centuries and the revered Emperor symbolizes national stability and continuity.

Yet both NHK, the national broadcaster, and Kyodo News, a major news agency, reported that Emperor Akihito, 82, was planning to step down in the near future to make way for his son.

The Imperial Household Agency took the unusual step of issuing a categorical denial. “It is absolutely not true,” said Shinichiro Yamamoto, the Vice Grand Steward. He added that the Emperor, who has been in poor health for several years, has “long refrained” from discussing any issues of this kind out of “consideration for His Majesty's constitutional position”.

But observers believe that neither NHK nor Kyodo News would have taken the risk of reporting such claims without strong sources.

The Emperor’s reported plans have triggered more stories in the Japanese media, with Yomiuri Shimbun, the nation’s biggest-selling newspaper, claiming that he has secretly reviewed the possibility of stepping down.

With a history of 2,600 years, the Japanese monarchy is believed to be the oldest in the world. If the Emperor wanted to abdicate, the law would have to be revised in order to permit him to do so.

There would be other complications. His successor and eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, only has a daughter. The idea of Japan having an Empress would provoke strong opposition, particularly within the conservative ruling party.