日本議院通過明仁天皇退位特例法案
Japan's parliament has passed a one-off bill to allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate, the first emperor to do so in 200 years.
日前，日本議會通過了一份一次性法案，允許明仁天皇退位，他也是近兩百年來第一位這麼做的天皇。The 83-year-old said last year that his age and health were making it hard for him to fulfil his official duties.
去年，這位83歲的天皇就稱自己的年齡與身體狀況使得他的工作愈發吃力。But there was no provision under existing law for him to stand down.
但是根據現行法律，並沒有任何條款能夠使他退休。
The government will now begin the process of arranging his abdication, expected to happen in late 2018, and the handover to Crown Prince Naruhito.
政府將從現在開始安排他的退位事宜。他預計會在2018年較晚時候退位，並將其傳給皇太子德仁。
Akihito, who has had heart surgery and was treated for prostate cancer, has been on the throne in Japan since the death of his father, Hirohito, in 1989.
明仁天皇已經接受過心臟手術，並曾接受了前列腺癌的治療。他自從父親裕仁天皇於1989年去世後就登上了日本天皇的寶座。The newly passed law says that on abdication, the emperor's 57-year old son, Naruhito, will immediately take the Chrysanthemum Throne, but that neither he nor his successors would be allowed to abdicate under the law.
新通過的法律規定，在退位時，天皇57歲的兒子德仁將立即繼承天皇寶座，但他和他的繼任者都不會被法律允許退位。The government is yet to set a date for the abdication, but the bill says it must take place within three years of the law coming into effect. The handover is widely expected take place in December 2018.
政府現在還沒有確定確切的退位日期，但是該法令規定，必須在法律生效後的三年內進行。人們普遍預計，交接儀式將於2018年12月舉行。
