The Japanese government established a secretariat Wednesday as it gears up for a string of rituals associated with the emperor's abdication scheduled in April 2019.The secretariat is responsible for overseeing the preparation and implementation of a number of ceremonies, including Emperor Akihito's abdication ceremony on April 30 and other rites marking the accession of his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, to the Chrysanthemum throne the following day."I hope we'll have ceremonies that can be celebrated by people from all over the world," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the officials of the secre…READ FULL ARTICLE
