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Japan’s parliament has approved changes to the country’s imperial succession system, but lawmakers have retained the centuries-old restriction that prevents women from becoming emperors, despite growing public support for gender equality within the monarchy.
The bill, passed by the upper house on Friday, allows male descendants from 11 former imperial branches to be readopted into the royal family if they are over 15 and unmarried. Their future sons will then become eligible to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne.
The reform is intended to address concerns over the shrinking size of Japan’s imperial family, which currently depends heavily on Prince Hisahito, the 19-year-old nephew of Emperor Naruhito. Hisahito, who is studying biology and has an interest in dragonflies, remains the only young male member of the imperial family who can continue the male line.
Under the current rules, if Prince Hisahito does not have a son, the imperial succession could face a historic crisis.
Japan has previously had eight female emperors, but modern succession rules introduced under the 1889 Imperial House Law restricted the throne to men descended through the paternal line. Those provisions were retained in the 1947 Imperial Household Law, preventing Princess Aiko, the 24-year-old daughter of Emperor Naruhito, from becoming emperor.
The legislation also removes the requirement that women in the imperial family lose their royal status upon marrying commoners. However, their children will still remain ineligible for succession because they are not male-line descendants.
The decision has triggered criticism from some lawmakers and members of the public who argue the reforms fail to reflect changing social attitudes.
Seiichiro Murakami, a senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), described the exclusion of Princess Aiko from succession as “utterly outrageous” after the bill passed the lower house.
Nagoya University professor Hideya Kawanishi, an expert on Japan’s emperor system, said the amendment “fails to reflect public opinion,” arguing that conservative lawmakers are prioritising the continuation of male-only succession over broader public views.
“For the conservative camp of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the likes, the overriding goal is to preserve the male-line, male-only succession to the throne,” Kawanishi said.
Public opinion polls have shown strong backing for change. A Mainichi Shimbun survey found more than 70 per cent of respondents supported allowing a woman to become emperor, while an Asahi Shimbun poll recorded 72 per cent support for changing the rules to permit female succession.
With only five male members among the 16 people currently in the imperial family, debate over the future of Japan’s monarchy is expected to continue.
