FILE - In this Thursday, March 2, 2017 file photo, Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko arrive for a meeting with family members of Japanese veterans living in Vietnam, at a hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam. While the announcement on Thursday, May 4, 2017 of Britain’s Prince Philip’s plan to retire in the fall came as a surprise, for some of the world’s royal families easing out of the public eye is seen as a normal way of ending their public service and handing the reins to a new generation. For others, being a royal really is a job for life. Japan’s Emperor Akihito expressed his apparent wish to abdicate in a rare public message last summer, and the government is making preparations. Unlike Prince Philip, Akihito is not allowed to make his own decision about retirement. (AP Photo/Minh Hoang, file)
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