Addressing the country on his 85th birthday Sunday, Emperor Akihito expressed his relief that the era of his reign is coming to an end without Japan having been engaged again in war."It is important not to forget that countless lives were lost in World War II and that the peace and prosperity of postwar Japan was built upon the numerous sacrifices and tireless efforts made by the Japanese people, and to pass on this history accurately to those born after the war," he said at a press conference ahead of his last birthday before his planned abdication on April 30."It gives me deep comfort tha…READ FULL ARTICLE
