Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko wave to Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri after their meeting and welcoming ceremony for the grand duke at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Nov 27, 2017. A special panel chaired by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has agreed that the date of Emperor Akihito's planned abdication - the first by a Japanese monarch in about two centuries - should be on April 30, 2019, national broadcaster NHK reported. [Photo/Agencies]