Japanese emperors are constitutionally barred from stepping down, and no monarch has done so in nearly 200 years.

日本的天皇在憲法上是禁止下臺的，近200年來沒有一位君主下臺。

Japan is a highly developed country with a liberal democracy, and yet it has the oldest continuing monarchy in the world.

日本是一個高度發達的自由民主國家，但它卻擁有世界上最古老的延續君主制。

So how does Japan's monarchy actually work?

那麼，日本的君主制究竟是如何運作的呢？

Well, Japan's Imperial Family is a hereditary monarchy, not unlike those which are common in Europe and the Middle East.

嗯，日本的皇室是世襲的君主制，與歐洲和中東地區常見的君主制不同。

The head of the family is the Emperor, and according to Japan's constitution, he is the "symbol of the State and of the unity of the people."

一家之主是天皇，根據日本憲法，天皇是 "國家和人民統一的象徵"。

As such, the Emperor's role is largely that of a figurehead.

是以，皇帝的角色主要是一個形象代言人。

That is, he attends diplomatic functions, provides support after natural disasters, awards honors, and performs a number of other symbolic duties.

也就是說，他出席外交活動，在自然災害發生後提供支持，授予榮譽稱號，並履行其他一些象徵性的職責。

In fact, the Emperor only has two formal responsibilities: appointing the Prime Minister as designated by parliament, and appointing the Chief Justice as designated by the Cabinet.

其實，天皇只有兩個正式的職責：由議會指定任命首相，由內閣指定任命大法官。

The Emperor does not take part in the lawmaking process, and in fact, is rarely even seen by the public.

皇帝不參與立法過程，事實上，甚至很少被公眾看到。

Since Emperor Akihito took the throne in 1989, he has only addressed the country on television once prior to his recent appearance.

自1989年明仁天皇登基以來，他只在最近出現在電視上向全國發表過一次講話。

Japan's Imperial Family has existed for thousands of years, and their role has evolved throughout history.

日本皇室已經存在了幾千年，他們的作用在歷史上也在不斷地發展。

From the 12th to 19th centuries, Japan was ruled by shoguns, or military dictators.

從12世紀到19世紀，日本由幕府將軍或軍事獨裁者統治。

Similar to today's Prime Ministers, their authority was only legitimate if it was approved by the Emperor.

與今天的丞相類似，他們的權力只有得到皇帝的準許才是合法的。

But when the shogunate dissolved in 1868, a new constitution gave the Emperor the authority to create and enforce laws and exercise "supreme command of the Army and Navy."

但當1868年幕府解體後，新憲法賦予天皇制定和執行法律的權力，並行使 "陸軍和海軍的最高指揮權"。

This lasted until the aftermath of World War II, when the occupying United States imposed a new constitution barring the Emperor from taking part in politics.

這種情況一直持續到第二次世界大戰結束後，佔領國美國強行頒佈新憲法，禁止天皇參政。

This era marked not only a shift in the Emperor's sovereignty, but also in his public persona.

這個時代不僅標誌著皇帝主權的轉變，也標誌著他的公眾形象的轉變。

According to Japanese mythology, the first Emperor in 660 BC, as well as each of the 124 rulers that succeeded him, are descendants of the Sun Goddess of Japan's Shinto faith.

根據日本神話傳說，公元前660年的第一位天皇，以及繼任的124位統治者，每一位都是日本神道信仰中太陽女神的後裔。

In fact, the Japanese word for Emperor literally translates to "heavenly sovereign."

其實，日語中天皇的字面意思是 "天主"。

And throughout history, Emperors have even been referred to as 'gods.'

而在歷史上，皇帝甚至被稱為'神'。

This narrative was reinforced by centuries of tradition as well as government propaganda, and during the second World War, it culminated in Imperial cults, kamikaze bombers, and other fanaticism.

這種敘事被幾個世紀的傳統以及政府宣傳所強化，在第二次世界大戰期間，它在帝國邪教、神風特攻隊轟炸機和其他狂熱主義中達到了高潮。

After Japan lost the war, the Emperor publicly announced that he was not a god, and rejected the belief that Emperors are divine.

日本戰敗後，天皇公開宣佈自己不是神，否定了天皇是神的信仰。

In order for Emperor Akihito to resign, Japanese parliament must revisit a 1947 law barring him from doing so.

為了讓明仁天皇辭職，日本國會必須重新審議1947年禁止他辭職的法律。

Although nothing has been confirmed, Akihito's 56-year-old son would likely advance to the throne.

雖然沒有得到任何確認，但明仁56歲的兒子很可能會晉級。

But Japan is famously resistant to change, and reconsidering the role of its Emperor once again, may be a long and arduous road.

但日本是出了名的抗拒變化，再次重新考慮天皇的角色，可能是一條漫長而艱辛的道路。

If you're like me and you love history, science, and exploration, you should check out Discovery Go.

如果你和我一樣，喜歡歷史、科學和探索，你應該看看Discovery Go。

You can binge watch all the seasons - current and past - of your favorite Discovery channel shows!

您可以狂熱地觀看所有季節 - 當前和過去的 - 您最喜愛的Discovery頻道的節目!

I'm currently working my way through Mythbusters, probably not a surprise.

我目前正在努力學習《神話故事》，可能並不意外。

Check out the link in the description below to learn more.

請看下面的描述鏈接，瞭解更多。

Japan is the only country that still has an emperor, but there are a handful of nations that still have kings and queens.

日本是唯一一個還有天皇的國家，但也有少數國家還有國王和皇后。

To learn more about the monarchies of the world, check out our video here.

要了解更多關於世界上的君主國，請看我們的視頻。

How many other nations have kings? 10,12?

還有多少國家有國王？10,12?

No! Way more: 45 nations have monarchs. 45 nations!

不！45個國家有君主45個國家！

But don't get too excited. 16 of those, including the UK, are commonwealth realms, like Canada or Australia, that recognize Queen Elizabeth the second of England as their monarch.

但不要太興奮。包括英國在內，其中有16個是英聯邦國家，比如加拿大或澳洲，承認英國女王伊麗莎白二世為其君主。

Thanks for watching SD make sure to like and sub.

謝謝觀看SD一定要點贊和分。