Turning to Japan now where Emperor Akihito is scheduled to step down today, after 30 years. Crown Prince Naruhito will take the Throne on Wednesday. Emperor Akihito has broken many imperial traditions, but is welcomed by many. Terrence Terashima has more.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have made their last pilgrimage to the City of Ise. As part of a series of rituals, Akihito reported his upcoming abdication to the ancestral deities of the imperial family enshrined in the Ise Shrine.

In many ways Akihito is said to have changed imperial tradition. Then a Crown Prince, he married a commoner, ending a 1,500-year-old tradition of choosing a bride from former court nobilities.

The imperial couple broke precedent by raising their children themselves instead of entrusting them to the care of court chamberlains.

The imperial household has always been about tradition and history. Some experts say for centuries the emperor's sovereignty was exploited by Shoguns and military governments, and holding onto tradition became too important to be altered.

Akihito tried to transform the imperial household into a friendlier, more engaged symbolic figure.

AKINORI TAKAMORI IMPERIAL HOUSEHOLD EXPERT "The emperor of Showa was associated with the dark memories of the war which brought about extreme worship or hate for the emperor and the imperial family. But the current emperor visited the memorial sites and expressed remorse, and also visiting disaster hit areas to cheer up the victims. Akihito tried to fulfill his symbolic role with a message of peace and be closer to the people, which reduced extreme feelings of love or hate against the imperial household."

"Many people died during the war in the name of the former emperor. I do not think the current emperor had a say in it then, but I'm glad that he went to Saipan to pay respects."

Akihito performed over 1,800 duties a year, and decided to step down when his age made it difficult to perform his symbolic role as an emperor.

"I have watched news of the imperial couple traveling to all the disaster areas, it must have been hard going to those places."

Crown Prince Naruhito ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, a day after Emperor Akihito abdicates.

TERRENCE TERASHIMA TOKYO "It is banned by the Japanese constitution for the emperor to have any political role. However, some people say it is ironic that US president Donald Trump will be the first official foreign guest for Naruhito. It comes at a time when it's important for Shinzo Abe to highlight the US-Japan alliance and partnership. Terrence Terashima CGTN Tokyo."