It has been more than a month since NHK reported that Emperor Akihito had expressed a desire to step down from the Imperial throne before he died, and during that time the Emperor himself has addressed the matter in a prerecorded message to the nation. There has also been a great deal of discussion about the constitutionality of "abdication," how the government will respond and whether or not the Emperor has any human rights.
Something that hasn't been discussed much is the original report. NHK first aired the story on its 7 p.m. news show on July 13. Every other media outlet was caught completely off guard and scrambled to confirm it. According to an article in the Aug. 5 issue of Shukan Post, the press club of the Imperial Household Agency "was in total chaos," with reporters running around, cellphones glued to their ears.
The NHK bulletin, delivered in the passive voice, stated that the Emperor had "indicated his will" to step down "in a few years" so that Crown Prince Naruhito could ascend the throne "before (the present Emperor) dies," and that this desire had been accepted by the rest of the Imperial family. "Did anyone know where NHK got its information?" the reporters kept asking one another.