Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Japanese Emperor Akihito signaled a desire to abdicate in a video message broadcast Monday, which immediately set off heated discussion in Japan. It's unknown whether and how Akihito's words relate to the constitutional amendment that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been advocating, but undeniably Akihito's hints of abdication will create a favorable environment for Abe's government to rewrite the constitution.

As in Japan the imperial succession has to adhere to the Imperial Household Law, the abdication will entail a revision of the law and thus involve the constitutional amendment. The public will then find that "no law cannot be revised," which can build a favorable social climate for Abe's intention to revise the constitution. In this process, Abe can attach some of his political strings and also gather experiences to facilitate his endeavor to revise the constitution.

But Abe's constitutional revision process may have to slow down if Akihito's abdication is put on the agenda. According to the Imperial Household Law, only a prince can be crowned, but Crown Prince Naruhito has no son. If Naruhito ascends to the throne, sucession will become a problem and this also requires a revision to the Imperial Household Law. Discussions over this issue will take some time and hence postpone Abe's constitutional amendment process. Since Abe has only two years left before his term ends and he is unlikely to seek another term, he will meet some difficulties to revise the constitution within his term.

In addition, Akihito's abdication will curb Japanese rightists' attempts to deify the imperial system and revive state Shinto.

There were discussions in Japan on the emperor's status in the 1920s and 1930s. Some believed the state should hold the full power and the emperor should be a symbolic role, and others held that the emperor should rule. The latter became one of the ruling thoughts of Japan's militarism until the end of WWII.

However, this has been again used by the right-wing attempt in recent years to deify the emperor and make him a living god. In this sense, Akihito's abdication will mean the emperor is just a post in the state, that cannot be deified. Hence the rightists advocate that Akihito should remain in the throne and have part of his duties performed through regency.

After Akihito hinted at abdication, Abe said he would consider the emperor's words "seriously," showing an ambiguous attitude.

With a strong administration, Abe may take advantage of the emperor's abdication to facilitate his constitutional amendment plan. But unlike Abe, the emperor endorses the current constitution, and is widely respected and popular. The heated discussions on Abe-Akihito antagonism over the constitution amendment will put some pressure on the Abe administration. Therefore, the emperor's abdication is both an opportunity and challenge for Abe's government. A close watch of Abe's next steps can help figure out Japan's political direction.

In Japanese history, it wasn't rare for an emperor to give up his throne mostly due to political struggles. Some emperors still held the real power after stepping down, and very few were willing to give up their right to rule. After WWII, the Japanese ruling faction even considered having then emperor Hirohito step down in order to dodge their responsibilities for war and maintain the imperial system. Therefore, an emperor's abdication always has negative connotations in Japan. However, Akihito's abdication is likely to change the status quo and help the imperial system to catch up with the changing Japanese society.

The author is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Japanese Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn Follow us on Twitter @GTopinion