Year One
Year One
天皇陛下は８日、「お気持ち」表明の中で生前退位の意向を発表しました。
Emperor Akihito of Japan Raises Possibility of Leaving Throne
TOKYO — It has been something of an open secret in Japan that Emperor Akihito would like a privilege most people take for granted: At 82, he wants to retire. The question is whether the Japanese and their elected leaders will let him.
In an extraordinary televised address on Monday, the popular emperor spoke publicly about the issue for the first time. Though his words were characteristically vague — he discussed his age, his rigorous daily schedule and what he called his increasing physical limitations — the message was unmistakable.
“I am concerned that it will become more and more difficult for me to fulfill my duties as a symbolic emperor,” he said in a prerecorded address that lasted about 10 minutes and was broadcast on multiple Japanese television networks.
If Akihito steps down, the move could redefine Japan’s royal family, the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy. While the emperor now has only symbolic power, an abdication could also resurrect a contentious issue in Japan: the debate over allowing a woman to occupy the throne.
First reported in banner headlines by the Japanese news media in July, Akihito, who has been treated for cancer and heart problems, was said to want to retire and pass the title to his son Crown Prince Naruhito, 56. Prince Naruhito appears to share his father’s quiet temperament and wish to keep the monarchy apolitical.
But abdication is complicated because of Japanese law, which says an emperor serves until death. Parliament would have to change the law for Akihito to step down.
In a short response, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suggested that his government was open to changing the law, though he stopped short of making a specific commitment to do so.
“Considering His Majesty’s age, the burden of his official duties and his anxieties, we must think carefully about what can be done,” he said.
Japanese emperors define eras in the country. Its unique calendar is based on their reigns: 2016 is expressed as Akihito’s 28th year on the throne, and when his successor takes over, the date will reset to Year One.
今回注目した表現は、“Year One”です。
そのまま訳すと、「一年目」といった意味が考えられます。しかし、大文字になっていることを考えると、ただの「一年目」ではないことが分かります。
インターネットで調べてみたところ、「紀元一年」と解釈することがあるようです。しかし、“Year One”を含む段落の内容を見てみると、これもあてはまりません。この段落では、今上天皇の明仁さまが生前退位をなさり、後継者が皇位継承をなさったら、年が１年目にリセットされるということが書かれています。なので、今回の場合、日本特有の年号の改まった最初の年である「（元号の）元年」を表しているのだと思われます。
生前退位の実現には、皇室典範の改正、退位後の天皇の呼称や役割についても法整備、その他にも多くの課題があるため、長い時間を要するようです。(Blue Sky)
