The end of an emperor
— 82-year-old Emperor Akihito of Japan has announced that he wants to abdicate, partly, he said, because he doesn’t want Japan to come to a standstill in the event of him falling ill, as with previous emperors.
— When Emperor Hirohito was diagnosed with duodenal cancer in 1987, the news was not reported; nor, it is said, was the emperor told. But within a year it became clear that he was seriously ill, because he had to cancel appearances. TV reporters camped outside the palace; weddings and autumn festivals were cancelled. When Hirohito died on 7 January 1989, aged 87, there were 48 days of mourning, though people seem to have grown weary by the funeral in February: only 200,000 turned up for the procession, when police expected 800,000.
Olympic hangover
An update on the 2012 Olympic legacy:
— Between 2012 and 2015, 95 school playing fields were sold.
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