Japan's ageing Emperor Akihito will step down in April 2019, marking the end of an imperial era for Japan, BBC reports.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the abdication date shortly after a government and royal panel met to discuss the timing.
The 83-year-old emperor had said last year that his age and health would make it difficult to fulfil his duties.
The timing of his abdication, the first in more than two centuries, has been the subject of debate in Japan.
The Imperial Household Council, made up of Mr Abe, lawmakers, and members of Japan's royal family, convened on Friday to set the date of the abdication.
Mr Abe later met reporters briefly to announce that they had decided the emperor would step down on 30 April 2019.
His abdication will mark the end of the Heisei era, and he would be immediately succeeded by his son Crown Prince Naruhito on 1 May, which would start a new imperial era.