Japan eases succession rules but keeps female emperor ban

Japan’s parliament has approved the biggest overhaul of the imperial system in decades, allowing the royal family to bring in distant male relatives and letting princesses keep their status after marrying commoners, while leaving intact a ban that prevents women from becoming emperor.

The upper house passed the bill Friday, days after it cleared the lower house. It will now move through final legal procedures before taking effect. The measure is the first amendment to the main text of the Imperial House Law since 1949, the BBC reported.

The changes are aimed at addressing the shrinking ranks of Japan’s imperial family, whose members carry out public duties in the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy. But the bill does not allow Princess Aiko, the 24-year-old only child of Emperor Naruhito, to inherit the throne despite strong public support for a female monarch.

Under the revisions, female members of the imperial family may remain royal after marrying commoners. Previously, they had to give up their titles and leave the family, as Princess Mako did in 2021 when she married her college sweetheart.

The law also allows the family to adopt male-line descendants from 11 former imperial branches that were removed after World War II. NPR reported that adopted men, born as commoners, would not be eligible to inherit the throne themselves, but their future male offspring would be.

The succession line is narrow. First in line is Crown Prince Fumihito, the emperor’s 60-year-old younger brother. His son, 19-year-old Prince Hisahito, is second. The third and last eligible candidate is the emperor’s 90-year-old uncle. Without legal changes, the line would end if Prince Hisahito does not have a male child.

Critics say the revisions avoid the central question of whether women should be allowed to reign. “The crucial point is that if a female emperor were recognized, we wouldn’t need to resort to such a complex adoption line,” Seiichiro Noboru, a former Japanese diplomat with ties to the imperial family, told NPR. He said the revision has a “very clear objective: to prevent the future emergence of a female emperor.”

Princess Aiko, who has a degree in Japanese literature and works full time for the Japanese Red Cross Society, is widely seen as a focus of public support for change. NPR reported that enthusiastic crowds often turn out for her public appearances. Polling cited by both outlets shows broad support for female succession: a Mainichi Shimbun survey of more than 2,000 people in June found more than 70% supported having a female emperor, while a Kyodo News poll found 83% favored allowing a woman to take the throne. NPR reported polls have shown support ranging from 60% to 90%.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other conservative leaders support the male-only rule. “The unparalleled historic fact that the imperial line has been maintained through the male line for 126 generations is the foundation of the emperor’s authority and legitimacy,” Takaichi told a party convention in April, according to NPR.

NPR also reported that Japan has had eight female emperors in nearly 12 centuries, all descended from the male line, and that the male-only practice dates to the 1889 Imperial Household Law under the Meiji government.

Emperor Naruhito, whose role is symbolic and who is not supposed to weigh in on politics, addressed the issue carefully at a news conference last month. “I hope the discussions about securing an adequate number of imperial family members can gain the understanding of the people,” he said, according to NPR.