Japan's Emperor Akihito had a desire to express his thoughts about fulfilling his role at a news conference marking his 82nd birthday last December, Imperial Household Agency sources said Tuesday.

Although the emperor conveyed his desire to do so to senior agency officials, it did not come to fruition as the agency could not make necessary preparations in time, the sources said as reported by Kyodo news agency.

As the emperor's feelings have since remained unchanged, the agency explored avenues for granting his wish, which culminated in Monday's rare video address to the public in which he indicated his readiness to abdicate in the future, they said.

Source : MENA