Emperor Akihto will abdicate the throne on April 30, 2019. He will be the first Japanese Emperor to do this in over 200 years. The last Emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku during the Edo Period in 1817. He is abdicating as he is concerned that he won't be able to do his duties as the emperor in his declining health as he ages. He is currently 83 years old.
Akihto is allowed to abdicate by his own choice after a law was passed in June of this year to give the emperor the choice to abdicate. This was a historical decision as a sitting emperor couldn't do this before. Part of this law is questioning if a female could rise to be an empress. There hasn't been an empress since Empress Cixi, and that was over 2,600 years ago.
Sources:
1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/akihito-to-become-first-japanese-emperor-to-abdicate-in-200-years/ar-BBFZjhT?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp
2) http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/08/asia/abdication-law-japan-passes/index.html
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Dissappearing Shipwrecks in Asian Waters
Along the coasts in Asia, metal salvagers and recreational salvagers alike are taking shipwrecks apart piece by piece. This is becoming a major issue as it is disrupting the local marine life, as well as destroying parts of history.
There have been international laws passed, protecting some aspects of the wrecks, but that is always hard to enforce as there are some that are in international waters. One of the laws passed in the UN was that unless it was abandoned, the county who's the owner of the ship has exclusive rights to the ship where ever it lies.
There are still some wrecks that are untouched, and one of them was discovered by Robert Ballard who is famous for discovering shipwrecks, his most famous discovery being the R.M.S. Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. He discovered the HMAS Canberra near Salvo Island.
Ballard is an advocate of the preservation of shipwrecks so we can learn as much from them as possible, since eventually the wrecks will disappear from natural degradation. So by the salvagers wrecking these shipwrecks, they are destroying any chance of extra knowledge to be gained for their own personal gain. It is sickening to see this happening before our eyes.
Sources:
1) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-16/the-race-to-save-dozens-of-wartime-shipwrecks-from-looters/9157016
2) Lost Ships of Robert Ballard by Robert Ballard
There have been international laws passed, protecting some aspects of the wrecks, but that is always hard to enforce as there are some that are in international waters. One of the laws passed in the UN was that unless it was abandoned, the county who's the owner of the ship has exclusive rights to the ship where ever it lies.
There are still some wrecks that are untouched, and one of them was discovered by Robert Ballard who is famous for discovering shipwrecks, his most famous discovery being the R.M.S. Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. He discovered the HMAS Canberra near Salvo Island.
Ballard is an advocate of the preservation of shipwrecks so we can learn as much from them as possible, since eventually the wrecks will disappear from natural degradation. So by the salvagers wrecking these shipwrecks, they are destroying any chance of extra knowledge to be gained for their own personal gain. It is sickening to see this happening before our eyes.
Sources:
1) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-16/the-race-to-save-dozens-of-wartime-shipwrecks-from-looters/9157016
2) Lost Ships of Robert Ballard by Robert Ballard
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