Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today said the Imperial House Council has chosen 30th April, 2019, as the date for Emperor Akihito's abdication. Speaking after a Council meeting, Abe said,the abdication is the first in about 200 years and the first in Japan's constitutional history.<br/><br/>Akihito's eldest son, 57-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, is expected to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne the next day. Akihito is the 125th person to sit on the Chrysanthemum Throne since Emperor Jimmu, said to be a descendant of the legendary sun goddess Amaterasu. <br/><br/>The Japanese imperial family is thought to be the world's oldest, with a myth-filled history that dates back more than 2,600 years. Emperors have played a crucial role in the country's native Shinto religion, conducting various annual rites and prayers for the prosperity of the nation.