(Clockwise from top) Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, House of Representatives speaker Tadamori Oshima, House of Councillors speaker Chuichi Date, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, 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