The legislation, enacted on June 9, stipulates that it will take effect within three years of its promulgation and that the Emperor will step down on the day of the enforcement, immediately followed by Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the Imperial throne.

After abdication, Emperor Akihito, 83, will be given the new title "joko," which means a retired Emperor, while Empress Michiko will be called "jokogo," or the spouse of a retired Emperor.

The government is considering scheduling Emperor Akihito's abdication for late December 2018.

The special law, which applies only to the current Emperor, was established after he signaled his strong wish to abdicate due to his advancing age in a video message last August. No succession from a living Emperor has taken place for about 200 years.

Following the promulgation, the government will start full-fledged preparations to decide the name of the new era to replace the current Heisei, arrange a residence for the couple after the Emperor's abdication and set up an organization to support the joko.

Also on Friday, the revised public offices election law was promulgated.

The amended law, enacted also on June 9, is designed to rezone 97 single-seat constituencies for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan's parliament, in 19 of the country's 47 prefectures, in order to narrow vote-value disparities.

The revised law will go into force on July 16, after a one-month period to make the change widely known among the public. (Jiji Press)