Tokyo (CNN) Japan's much-loved Emperor Akihito will stand down on April 30, 2019, becoming the first Japanese monarch to abdicate his post in two centuries.

The decision was made at a meeting of the Imperial House Council and announced by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday.

Crown Prince Naruhito, who has already assumed some of his father's duties, will take on the role on May 1, 2019, becoming the 126th Emperor to ascend to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne.

"I will do my upmost to ensure that the Emperor's abdication and the ascension of the Crown Prince will proceed smoothly with the blessing of all of our citizens," Abe said.

In Tokyo on Friday locals expressed their sadness at the loss of their Emperor but pride in how he'd help mold the country in his image.

"He became emperor when Japan was looking for a new national identity and I think his commitment to peace became symbolic of how Japan tried to be perceived in the world. I hope that will continue," Satomi Kitamura told CNN.

Bank worker Kenichiro Yasuda said he felt a "sad" at the news. "But he is getting older so I understand. It is good that his son is ready," he said.

In August 2016, Akihito gave a rare televised address, where he said his age and fitness level could make it "difficult" to carry out his duties in the future, a plea many took as a request to step aside.

passed into law a historic bill to Following his speech, the Japanese parliament in Junepassed into law a historic bill to allow 83-year-old Akihito to abdicate the throne if he chose

"When I consider that my fitness level is gradually declining, I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the State with my whole being as I have done until now," he said in 2016 , only the third time a Japanese emperor has addressed his people since 1945.

Emperor Hirohito announced by radio that Japan lost World War II and Akihito, his son, addressed the nation on TV after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

The emperor is a ceremonial but revered figure in Japan's constitutional monarchy. It is currently the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world, dating back fourteen centuries. Akihito himself is a direct descendent of Japan's first emperor Jimmu, believed to have reigned around 660 BC.

The last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku in 1817 in the later part of the Edo Period. In general, Japan's monarch is not allowed to step down under Japan's legal framework.

Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Japanese Emperor Akihito turned 84 on December 23, 2017. Akihito is the 125th Emperor of Japan, a direct descendant of Japan's first emperor Jimmu, circa 660 B.C. Here, we take a look at the life of the world's only monarch with the title of emperor. Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito A portrait of Crown Prince Akihito in January 1936 at age 3. He is the son of Empress Nagako and Emperor Hirohito, whom he succeeded in 1989. The Chrysanthemum Throne is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world. Records show the imperial line to be unbroken for 14 centuries. Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Crown Prince Akihito with some of his school friends at the Imperial School in Tokyo, circa 1938. Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Crown Prince Akihito in ceremonial robes for his formal investiture as crown prince at the Tokyo Imperial Palace on November 10, 1952. Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Prince Akihito in his private study at the Imperial Palace in 1952. Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Queen Elizabeth II and Akihito are seen in the royal box at the Epsom Downs Racecourse on June 6, 1953, in England. Crown Prince Akihito made the trip to attend her coronation. Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Akihito addresses the crowd upon arrival at Oahu Airport on October 8, 1953, in Honolulu. During seven months of travel, the crown prince visited 14 countries. Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Akihito during his wedding to Michiko Shoda in 1959. He is the first Japanese crown prince to marry a commoner. Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Akihito with his pet dog Dingo in December 1963, on the grounds of Togu Palace, his residence in Tokyo. Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Prince Akihito takes a walk with Princess Michiko and their son Naruhito in 1964. Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito In a 1969 portrait, Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako pose with their children and grandchildren. Crown Prince Akihito stands on the far right. Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Visitors to China's Forbidden City walk beneath Japanese and Chinese flags, flown to welcome Emperor Akihito on October 23,1992. Akihito's visit to China was the first ever by a Japanese emperor. Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito President Bill Clinton offers a toast to Emperor Akihito at the White House in June 1994, during the first state dinner of Clinton's administration. Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito South African President Nelson Mandela and Emperor Akihito toast during a banquet at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in July 1995. Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Emperor Akihito leaves the Imperial Palace for the hospital in January 2003. The emperor had a successful operation to remove his cancerous prostate. Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko leave the residence of the late Princess Kikuko after paying their respects in Tokyo on December 19, 2004. The princess was Akihito's aunt. Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Akihito's eldest son and heir-apparent, Crown Prince Naruhito, granddaughter Princess Aiko, and Crown Princess Masako enter the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on September 2, 2006. Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito The Emperor and the Empress greet U.S. President Barack Obama at the Imperial Palace on November 14, 2009. Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Akihito leaves the University of Tokyo Hospital in Tokyo on February 12, 2012. Akihito was scheduled to undergo heart bypass surgery after tests showed the narrowing of his arteries had worsened. Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are greeted at Chennai International Airport in India on December 4, 2013, after arriving from New Delhi on the second leg of their weeklong trip to India. This was the first time they had been to India in 53 years. Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito From the balcony of the Imperial Palace, Emperor Akihito greets thousands of people, waving Japanese flags, who have gathered to wish him a happy 82nd birthday on December 23, 2014. Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Then Philippine President, Benigno Aquino welcomes Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko as they start their 5-day state visit to the Philippines on January 26, 2016. A gesture to honor 60 years of strong diplomacy post-WWII, their trip marked the first-ever visit by a reigning Japanese emperor to the Philippines. Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: Photos: Japan's Emperor Akihito Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko wave to well-wishers from the balcony of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2, 2018. Hide Caption 23 of 23

Akihito, who was born in December 1933, had been suffering health problems in recent years, including heart surgery and treatment for cancer, which he addressed in his 2016 speech.

"I started to think about the pending future, how I should conduct myself should it become difficult for me to carry out my heavy duties in the way I have been doing, and what would be best for the country, for the people, and also for the Imperial Family members who will follow after me," he said.

JUST WATCHED Japan Emperor Akihito delivers historic speech Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Japan Emperor Akihito delivers historic speech 03:49

Akihito's father was the wartime Emperor Hirohito who presided over Japan's aggression in the first half of the 20th Century.

Akihito has repeatedly expressed remorse for his country's actions before and during World War II, including d uring his visit to China in 1992, the first ever by a Japanese monarch , although he did not apologize.

"At odds with much Japanese behavior of recent years, ranging from prime ministerial visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines war criminals among others, to whitewashing Japanese atrocities in school textbooks, Akihito has been expressing remorse and making gestures of repentance that convey Japan's contrition regarding the nation's regional rampage," Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University Japan, wrote for CNN in 2016.

His son Naruhito has stood by his father's stance on Japan's wartime atrocities, saying his country's activities during the war must be remembered "correctly."

Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito attend the celebration for the New Year at the Imperial Palace on January 2, 2015.

"It is important today, when memories of the war are fading, to look back humbly on the past and correctly pass on the tragic experiences and history Japan pursued from the generation which experienced the war to those without direct knowledge," he said at a press conference in 2015.

Akihito broke more than 1,500 years of imperial tradition by choosing in 1959 to marry a commoner, Michiko Shoda.

His son followed his example in 1993, marrying Harvard-educated diplomat Crown Princess Masako. However, soon after the wedding, Masako began to suffer a stress-related illness and grew reclusive, much to the concern of local observers.

A multilingual former career diplomat, Masako is said to have struggled with the transition to royal life.

"One can only hope that she would be able to provide the stalwart support for Naruhito that Michiko has given to Akihito," Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University Japan, told CNN in 2016.