Addressing the country on his 84th birthday Saturday, Emperor Akihito thanked citizens for their considerations and efforts to enable his abdication on April 30, 2019, and vowed to fulfill his duties until the last day of his reign.

"I am truly grateful that numerous people have put their thoughts and efforts into the matter in their respective roles," with regard to his abdication, the emperor said at a press conference ahead of his birthday.

"Over the remaining days, as I continue to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state, I would like to make preparations for passing the torch to the next era, together with the people concerned," he said.

His annual birthday remarks came after Japan's parliament enacted a one-off law in June to allow him to abdicate -- he will be the first Japanese monarch in more than 200 years to do so -- after the emperor signaled his wish to retire in a rare message in August 2016, voicing concerns that his advancing age would one day stop him from fulfilling his duties.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet formally approved earlier this month the date of April 30, 2019, for the emperor to relinquish the Chrysanthemum throne. The emperor's elder son Crown Prince Naruhito is set to ascend the throne the following day.

The Imperial Household Agency has allocated about 3.5 billion yen ($30.9 million) for the imperial succession, including costs to repair the "Takamikura" traditional throne for the emperor to use in the accession ceremony, currently in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and to renovate the emperor's residence after the abdication.

Accompanied by his wife Empress Michiko, the emperor waved to the crowd from behind the windows of the palace Saturday morning.

Some 45,900 people visited the palace, a record since he took the throne in 1989, according to the agency.

While expressing his appreciation for the good wishes, the emperor said, "It pains me to think that there are still people enduring hardships in regions affected by typhoons, torrential rains, the Great East Japan Earthquake (in 2011) and other disasters."

"I pray that the next year will be peaceful for all the people."

In the press conference earlier in the week, the emperor read out a prepared statement at the Imperial Palace, which lasted about 12 minutes.

On the emperor's eldest granddaughter Princess Mako's engagement to Kei Komuro, her boyfriend from university days, the emperor said, "This gives me much joy, and I pray for their happiness." The two are scheduled to get married next November.

Looking back, the emperor said it was "sad" that this year turned out to be another year in which many natural disasters occurred.

In October, the emperor and Empress Michiko visited people affected by torrential rains that hit the Fukuoka and Oita prefectures in southwestern Japan in July, causing mudslides and river flooding. The emperor said the sheer scale of the disaster, which he witnessed during the trip, made him realize anew "how terrifying the power of nature can be."

But the emperor added that he also "felt reassured" to learn that survivors are "steadfastly working hand in hand toward reconstruction, even in the depths of their grief."

The emperor also touched on his trip with the empress to Vietnam and Thailand from late February to March.

The emperor said the couple had an opportunity in Hanoi to meet with Vietnamese family members of Japanese soldiers deployed in Southeast Asia during World War II who fought alongside the Vietnamese people in their war for independence from France.

"After the independence of Vietnam, those former soldiers were advised to return to Japan and forced to leave the country...and the families left behind in Vietnam endured numerous hardships," the emperor said.

The emperor said he was "deeply moved" to know that "warm exchange" has continued over the years between those Vietnamese families and a number of Japanese families the former soldiers formed in Japan after their return.

During his visit to Thailand, the emperor said he paid his final respects to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away in October last year, recalling their "many years of friendship."

The emperor added that his visit in September to the Koma shrine, which is dedicated to ancient Korean settlers, in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, made him think back on "the long history of our exchanges with East Asia in the course of the history of Japan."

The emperor concluded his statement by expressing wishes that the coming year will be a good one for a