Swift action sought over abdication

In a nationwide survey conducted from Friday to Sunday, 66 percent of respondents were in favor of the government aiming for legal revisions that would allow abdication for the current and subsequent emperors.

A Yomiuri Shimbun survey found 61 percent of respondents believe that the bill related to the Emperor's abdication that the government aims to submit during next year's ordinary Diet session should be enacted as soon as possible, while 33 percent believe it should be considered carefully before action is taken.

In the previous survey conducted from Oct 7 to 9, a total of 48 percent believed the government should speed up its efforts to reach a conclusion on abdication, while 45 percent said it should consider the issue carefully. The questions in the latest survey were different from the previous one, but the number of respondents in favor of handling the issue quickly has now exceeded 50 percent.