(Clockwise from top) Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, House of Representatives speaker Tadamori Oshima, House of Councillors speaker Chuichi Date, House of Representatives vice-speaker Hirotaka Akamatsu, House of Councillors vice-speaker Akira Gunji, Imperial Household Agency chief Shinichiro Yamamoto, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Supreme Court judge Kiyoko Okabe, Supreme Court Chief Justice Itsuro Terada, Princess Hanako and Prince Hitachi attend a meeting of the Imperial Household Council to discuss the timeline for the abdication of Japan's Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Household Agency in Tokyo, Japan December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai