emperor akihito has formally stepped down from the throne in a ceremony at the imperial palace in tokyo akihito is the first.

world journalists has been covering the ceremonies at the imperial palace and joins us from tokyo hi sonia akihito is at the cation ceremony it was a solemn and fairly.

announcer: next, the application ceremony for japanese emperor akihito from the imperial palace in tokyo. he is the first japanese monarch to abdicate the throne in more than 200 years. the emperor has largely been a symbolic figure since the end of world war ii. took over the day after the ceremony. >> we are certainly approaching that big moment. the ceremony is to be starting rather soon. what can we expect from the ceremony? >> this would be the first time in about two centuries that the living emperor will hand over the throne. don't expect a lot of fanfare. former world -- former where which will be more relaxed. at 5:00 emperor akihito will arrive at the state room. the prince and princess and other members of the imperial family. after that the prime minister will be abdicating according to the special law and he will convey gratitude to the emperor on behalf of the public. emperor akihito will then read a short speech, his last two the people of his 30 year reign. be quiteected to short, only about 10 minutes. >> professor, what will you be paying attention to? >> i suspect it w

half an hour he succeeds his father who formally abdicated on tuesday during the ceremony in tokyo emperor akihito thanked the public and said he prays for peace this was the first up to cation in japan in more than two hundred years. just a would say i'll just have. to do is first for sunday the most special moment is and she was given over to me. and i couldn't hold myself i cried. she's crying and you. couldn't yes i've got me cash see. and of course as this office keys in the church the master did not say you make the bride he did mislead. you he's a limousine illiterate just know that there were two cheese so we had to respect it and then they go to the park testing me doing ok i'm. the first phone call with you when she was seven. she was one of a group of children from all over south africa. it was nine hundred ninety two and they had very little in common black white rich and poor some lived in townships some in white suburbs officially segregated by a part of. it was only two years since mandela's release from prison and the racist policies of the past were just beginning to crumble. sinc

one hundred twenty sixth emperor in a brief ceremony in the capital tokyo and for an hour he too has taken over a promise father akihito who abdicated on tuesday when he has more from tokyo. less than a day after his father emperor akihito retired in a writ of money his oldest son into the same room in the imperial palace to formally take over the transfer of ancient family treasures signaled the arrival of a new era the reign of emperor not all he told this was the first time in more than two hundred years that japan saw accession as a result of abdication then just minutes later no he took this time with his wife and christmas soko by his side spoke for the first time as emperor a. eunuch sitting to the throne i swear i will reflect deeply on the course followed by his majesty the emperor emeritus and bear in mind the path of by-passed in paris in the will devote myself to self-improvement his father akihito sought to modernize the imperial family and bring it closer to the people but when states first ceremony provided an indication of how far there is to go no female members of the family including no he tours wife

world welcome we begin the day with the end of an emperor's raid today inside tokyo's imperial palace japan's imper akihito formally step down he's the first japanese emperor to abdicate in more than two hundred years but two centuries are just a blink of an eye in japan's long royal history according to legend the first monarch ascend of the throne in six sixty b.c. the hereditary line has never been broken meaning emperor akihito was the one hundred twenty fifth monarch of the same royal family to occupy the chrysanthemum throw. a simple ten minute ceremony and during a thirty year vein and breaking with japanese imperial tradition for the first time in more than two centuries. against an unpretentious backdrop emperor akihito performed at the main ritual at the imperial palace to hand over what's known as the chrysanthemum throne to his son. the ceremony saw the emperor of relinquish an ancient sword and jewel secret regalia that tradition dictates should be seen by no one but the emperor. addressing those assembled in the palaces room of pine akihito paid tribute to his subjects. so. i am very thankful

tokyo. he received three sacred treasures a sword, jewel, and mirror that his father, akihito, relinquished cated on tuesday. emperor naruhito‘s accession heralds a new imperial era, designated reiwa, or beautiful harmony. my colleague mariko oi is in tokyo. tell us more. as you said, within the last hour, they held a formal ceremony for emperor naruhito to ta ke to ceremony for emperor naruhito to take to the throne, becoming 126th emperor of japan. strictly speaking, he became an emperor at midnight japan time. but we also heard from him, for the first time, as a public address as the emperor. let's hear what he had to say. trans- mac i ascend to the imperial throne. when i think of this important term, i really think a great heavy burden onto my term. my father, the former emperor, always served the country and the people ofjapan and i will always see and he showed his great work as an emperor. emperor emeritus showed us as emperor as symbol of the state and i will say thank you to emperor emeritus. this occasion i inherited the imperial throne, to emperor emeritus. this occasion i inheri

tokyo. he received sacred treasures that his father, akihito, relinquished when he abdicated on tuesday. a new imperial era, designated reiwa, or beautiful harmony. let's cross live to mariko oi who's in tokyo. we actually managed to get a glimpse of the new emperor as they left in the car. they attended a short ceremony to formally become emperor number 126, strictly speaking, becoming the emperor midnight local time this was the formal official ceremony for him to take to the throne. he also made his first public red dress as the emperor. this occasion, i inherit the imperial throne. i will look back on the history of imperial lineage. and i will do my maximum effort to serve the country and the people of japan. it was interesting to note he talked about the protection of the constitution and how he will respect his role as the symbol of the country. of course, japan's constitution doesn't allow an emperor to have any political say. we also heard from japan's by minister made this remark at the ceremony. we receive his majesty's word in the turmoil of the world, we will keep the future

akihito officially abdicated today, after a 30-year reign. he was the first japanese monarch to step down in two centuries. crowds gathered in tokyoay to thank the popular akihito, who sought to bring the monarchy closer to the people, and to heal the wounds of world war ii. at midnight in japan, prince naruhito succeeded his father and became the new emperor. and, on wall street, the dow jones industrial average gained 38 points to close near 26,593. the nasdaq fell 66 points, andth e s&p 500 added two. still to come on the newshour:a ssible turning point in the political battle over venezuela. president trump meets withde congressionacrats about infrastructure, amid a brewing fight over subpoenas. . revolution in the way that students learn to and, much more. >> woodruff: we turn now to the anti-maduro protests which exploded on the streets of caracas, venezuela tod. as night fell, it still was notf cleahe venezuelan military had heeded opposition leader juan guiado's call to abandon presidenmaduro. william brangham is back, and he talks with the u.s. spresentative of venezuel opposition. f brangham: thanks, judy. to understand

tokyo. less than a day after his father emperor akihito retired in a rear sirrah mini his oldest son entered the same room in the imperial palace to formally take over the transfer of ancient family treasures signaled the arrival of a new era the reign of emperor not all he told this was the first time in more than two hundred years that japan saw accession as a result of abdication then just minutes later this time with his wife and christmas a call by his side spoke for the first time as emperor. in exceeding to the throne i swear that i will reflect deeply on the course followed by his majesty the emperor emeritus and bear in mind the path. by past in paris in the will devote myself to self-improvement his father akihito sought to modernize the imperial family and bring it closer to the people but when states first ceremony provided an indication of how far there is to go no female members of the family including no he tours wife and daughter were allowed in the room the people who reside in this palace are of course very important to japan but they have no political power since one nine

think we can expect him to continue in the footsteps of his father emperor akihito thank you for that wayne here live for us in tokyo while japan's new emperor was groomed for the role from a young age emperor naruhito is the oldest of three children born to emperor emeritus i.q. two and his wife me chico he graduated in one thousand nine hundred eighty two from the department of history. city in tokyo it's a school favored by the japanese imperial family event studied for two years as wayne said at oxford university emperor naruhito was married former diplomat masako in one nine hundred ninety three and they have one child the seventeen year old princess eichel who is barred by law from the throne because she is a female. ito's life has been largely free of scandal let's speak some more about this not michael penn who's the president of the shin gets to a news agency is live from tokyo with us thank you so much michael for being with us on al-jazeera so a new chapter in japan's imperial history we've heard from the new emperor what do you expect from him continuity as he says or change at some point during his rule

tokyo. less than a day after his father emperor akihito retired and to rid of any his oldest son entered the same room in the imperial palace to formally take over the transfer of ancient family treasures signaled the arrival of a new era the reign of emperor not all he told this was the first time in more than two hundred years that japan saw accession as a result of abdication then just minutes later this time with his wife imprisoned by his side spoke for the first time as emperor. nick sitting to the throne i swear i will reflect deeply on the course followed by his majesty the emperor emeritus and bear in mind the path by past in paris into we'll devote myself to self-improvement his father akihito sought to modernize the imperial family and bring it closer to the people but when first ceremony provided an indication of how far there is to go no female members of the family including not all he tours wife and daughter were allowed in the room the people who reside in this palace are of course very important to japan but they have no political power since one nine hundred forty seven the

tokyo from where wade hay reports. after more than thirty years on the throne emperor akihito made a slow final walk into the serum only room in the imperial palace as was so often the case throughout his reign he was accompanied and supported by his wife improves michiko he told then spoke for the last time as emperor of japan much it is fortunate that i have been able to perform my duty as imperator we perform trust and respect for the japanese people for thirty years since my ascension to the tram to the people who accepted and supported me as a symbol i express my art felt thanks and. there was little fanfare all fuss surrounding the ceremony which lasted around ten minutes that low key nature of it was perhaps fitting for an emperor who sought to change the perception of the role one of akihito as legacies is that he modernized the imperial family by attempting to make it relevant and because of that there is still widespread public support for it according to polling and there was also overwhelming support for this abdication. in a surprise speech three years ago he said he felt his health and age would prevent h

one hundred and twenty sixth emperor in a brief ceremony in the capital tokyo and but not a veto has taken over from his father akihito who had to catered on tuesday when he has more. less than a day after his father emperor akihito retired in a writ of money his oldest son entered the same room in the imperial palace to formally take over the transfer of ancient family treasures signaled the arrival of a new era the reign of emperor not only he told this was the first time in more than two hundred years that japan saw accession as a result of abdication then just minutes later this time with his wife impressed by his side spoke for the first time as emperor. nick sitting to the throne i swear i will reflect deeply on the course followed by his majesty the emperor emeritus and bear in mind the path of by-passed in paris into we'll devote myself to self-improvement his father akihito sought to modernize the imperial family and bring it closer to the people but when states first ceremony provided an indication of how far there is to go no female members of the family including no he tours wife and daughter were allowed

emperor akihito who on tuesday became the first to abdicate from the throne in two hundred years wayne hay has the latest now from tokyo. it was perhaps fitting that the gloomy where that of choose day when the abdication ceremony took place for emperor akihito gave way to sunshine on wednesday for two very brief ceremony is to welcome in the new era of emperor another heater the first ceremony involve the transfer the handing down of imperial regalia ancient treasures that are handed from emperor to emperor in a second brief ceremony as well we heard from the emperor for the first time speaking publicly and then comments from the prime minister shinzo are there welcoming in the new era on behalf of the japanese people so what can we expect from this new emperor not a veto is fifty nine years of age the first japanese emperor to be educated overseas having spent two years at oxford university in the united kingdom his wife imprisoned muster colson spent time studying at harvard and oxford university she is a former diplomat so potentially they bring a uniquely global international perspective to the imperial family tha

tokyo. he received three sacred treasures — a sword, jewel, and mirror — that his father — akihito — relinquishedelevision address after a day of mass protests against his rule. he saluted the loyalty of the armed forces and said he would emerge victorious in the face of the oppositon campaign to force him to stand down. senior democrats in the us are saying they've reached agreement with president trump to invest $2 trillion in infrastructure projects. this will include modernising roads, rail lines and water supplies and upgrading the power grid to deliver greener energy. they've also agreed that broadband should reach every american home. now on bbc news, panorama. this programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting. tonight — the scandal of child abuse in the church of england. i think it's been a very big problem, perhaps bigger than any of us would want to think. we investigate how senior clergy in one diocese failed to act. it should have been dealt with right away. and they didn't. theyjust turned a blind eye and moved on. abusers in church dioceses who were able to evade

tokyo. he received two sacred treasures — a sword and a jewel — that his father — akihito — relinquished whenuesday. the venezuelan president — nicolas maduro — has given a defiant television address — after a day of mass protests against his rule. he saluted the loyalty of the armed forces and said he would emerge victorious in the face of the oppositon campaign to force him to stand down. senior democrats in the us are saying they've reached agreement with president trump to invest $2 trillion in infrastructure projects. this will include modernising roads, rail lines and water supplies and upgrading the power grid to deliver greener energy. they've also agreed that broadband should reach every american home. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. this year marks the 30th anniversary of the chinese government's suppression of the pro—democracy protests intended square. since then, china has undergone a remarkable economic transformation. what's happened to the ideological outlook and strategic vision of the country's communist party lead

japan's emperor akihito has formally stepped down from the throne in a certain money at the imperial palace in tokyo quito is the first.

announcer: next, the application ceremony for japanese emperor akihito from the imperial palace in tokyo. he is the first japanese monarch to abdicate the throne in more than 200 years. the emperor has largely been a symbolic figure since the end of world war ii. took over the day after the ceremony. >> we are certainly approaching that big moment. the ceremony is to be starting rather soon. what can we expect from the ceremony? >> this would be the first time in

tokyo now. it was perhaps fitting that the gloomy where that of choose day when the abdication ceremony took place for emperor akihito gave way to sunshine on wednesday for two very brief ceremony to welcome in the new era of emperor another heater the first ceremony involves the transfer the handing down of imperial regalia ancient treasures that are handed from emperor to emperor in a second brief ceremony as well we heard from the emperor for the first time speaking publicly and then comments from the prime minister shinzo up there welcoming in the new era on behalf of the japanese people so what can can we expect from this new era emperor not hito is fifty nine years of age the first japanese emperor to be educated overseas having spent two years at oxford university in the united kingdom his wife imprest musta coal so i spent time studying at harvard and oxford university she is a former diplomat so potentially they bring a uniquely global international perspective to the imperial family that we haven't seen before but i think overall we can expect that emperor not oh he will very much follow in the footsteps of

for the 30—year reign of his father, emperor—emeritus akihito, who abdicated on tuesday. 0ur correspondent mariko 0i has been following events from tokyomperial palace here in tokyo and several hours ago, we actually managed to get a glimpse of the new emperor, emperor naruhito, and his wife, empress masako, as they drove away from the imperial palace. they attended the short ceremony mentioned inside. strictly speaking, he became the 126th emperor of japan at strictly speaking, he became the 126th emperor ofjapan at midnight local time but the ceremony was to formalise his taking of the train. he also made his first public address as emperor. let's listen to what he said. translation: on this occasion, i inherit the imperial throne. i will look back at the history of the imperial lineage and i will do my maximum effort to serve the country and the people of japan. japan's new emperor naruhito making his first public speech as the emperor. it is interesting to note that his speech, as well as his father's speech yesterday, had to be approved by the japanese government. of course, the japanese constitution does not allow the emperor to

akihito and his wife. he graduated in one nine hundred eighty two from the department of history at university in tokyo it's a school favored by the japanese imperial family he then studied for two years of oxford university in the u.k. and printed a huge who's married to former diplomat to masako in one thousand nine hundred three and they have one child the seventeen year old princess aiko who's barred by law from inheriting the throne because she is female not a hue to his life has been largely free of scandal michael pena is the president and news agency joins me now from tokyo good to have you with us again michael obviously we've seen a very intricate details ceremony which sets out really. a similar path for the new emperor in a similar vein to his father. yes well i mean. if something has succeeded marvelously as the reign of akihito was i mean there was almost no criticism that you could make of of akihito study or rain he he did everything he could to as your correspondent said to make the you know the imperial institution more relevant closer to the people a symbol of peace coming after the much

comes after his 85—year—old father, akihito, became the first ruler to abdicate in more than 200 years. 0ur correspondent laura bicker is outside the imperial palace in tokyoyou. this was clearly a very important moment in japanese history and i can see many crowds with you there this morning. hundreds of people came to try and catch a glimpse of the new imperial couple. at midnight, they officially ushered in the new era of reiwa, which means beautiful or ordered piece, depending on which kind of interpretation you have. but to give you an idea of what they are all here to see, it is the imperial palace. they want their picture taken on this auspicious occasion in front of these ridges and in front of the imperial palace. the motorcade, the imperial motorcade, made their way out. some lucky people got a view of the new imperial couple, but emperor naruhito said that he wishes for the prosperity of his people, their happiness, and also for world peace. so it looks like he will be continuing the legacy of his father, who is much loved as an emperor of the people here injapan. this is the people here injapan. this is the world's oldest monarchy. the ceremony

emperor akihito has formally stepped down from the throne in a ceremony at the imperial palace in tokyo akihito is the first japanese emperor to abdicate in two hundred years his reign ended at midnight local time and his son crown prince not who he is now the new emperor. in sudan opposition groups and the military disagree over leadership after president omar al bashir was ousted the army has called for protesters to stop disrupting trains and roads a transitional ruling council says a general would head a new joint civilian military council protesters are demanding a civilian leadership to pave the way for democratic elections. a shooting at a u.s. university has left at least two dead and four wounded two of them severely it happened at the university of north carolina in charlotte. local media report that a suspect believed to be a student there has been taken into custody. for the first time in more than two hundred years the japanese emperor today abdicated emperor akihito japan's first pacifist monarch offered his gratitude to the people and nation he represented from what is known as t

emperor akihito has formally stepped down from the throne in a ceremony at the imperial palace in tokyo akihito is the first japanese emperor to abdicate in two hundred years his reign ended at midnight local time and his son crown prince not to heathrow is now the new emperor. in sudan opposition groups and the military disagree over leadership after president omar al bashir was ousted the army has called for protesters to stop disrupting trains and roads a transitional ruling council says a general would head a new joint civilian military council protesters are demanding a civilian leadership to pave the way for democratic elections. u.s. president donald trump is suing deutsche bank to stop it giving congressional investigators financial records about his company's bank is one of trump's main business creditors two congressional committees have subpoenaed the bank as they investigate allegations of possible foreign influence on u.s. politics. a long suit from a litigious leader to a lender u.s. president donald trump tells door to bank not to hand over his financial records in an attempt to

became the new emperor of japan at a sword and jewel succession ceremony in tokyo he takes over the role from his father akihito who has retired now he too is expected to follow his father's example in seeking peace and staying close to people. in sudan opposition groups and the military disagree over leadership after president omar al bashir was ousted the army has called for protesters to stop disrupting trains and roads a transitional ruling council says a general would head a new joint civilian military council protesters are demanding a civilian leadership to pave the way for democratic elections. a shooting at a u.s. university has left at least two dead and four wounded two of them severely it happened at the university of north carolina in charlotte. local media report that a suspect believed to be a student there has been taken into custody. this is africa coming up in the next fifteen minutes millions have been displaced out home and i brought. in civil war now solved saddam's government and u.n. agencies are trying to help them return home but is it too soon. also coming out a fifth day of heavy rain