Japan Emperor Considers Abdication

choi

(1) In English and in Japanese, respectively.
(a) Emperor Considers Abdication. NHK, July 13, 2016 ("breaking news")
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/editors/3/20160713/
("The Emperor is 82 years old. Sources say that he wants to step down before he is too frail to carry out his duties fully")
(b) 天皇陛下 「生前退位」の意向示される. NHK, July 13, 2016.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160713/k10010594271000.html

(2) "The last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku, in 1817."  New York Times, to be published in print tomorrow but available online presently.

Note:
(a) Emperor Kōkaku 光格 天皇 (1771 – 1840; reign 1780–1817; Kōkaku abdicated to be Jōkō 上皇 [English: retired emperor], in favor of his son Emperor Ninkō 仁孝 天皇)
(b) Japanese-English dictionary:
* ta-i--i 退位 【たいい】 (n,v): "abdication"
(c) The "kaku" is Chinese pronunciation of kanji 格.
(d) The crown prince: 皇太子 徳仁 親王 (徳仁 is pronounced Naruhito.)