Crisis of the Crown Prince Proves Japan to Revise Imperial Rules

Japan's parliament is closer to reaching a cross-party agreement to revise the imperial family law to address the declining number of heirs to the throne and maintain the monarchy's continuity.

In a draft consensus prepared by the leaders of the Japanese Lower House and the Upper House on Friday (5/6), the parliament proposed two major changes to the imperial family rules that have long been a subject of debate.

First, female members of the imperial family will be allowed to retain their imperial titles and status after marrying commoners.

Second, the imperial family will be allowed to adopt males from the 11 branches of the imperial family that lost imperial status after World War II.

"After carefully considering the views of each party, we have drafted what we believe to be the best solution," said House of Representatives Speaker Eisuke Mori, as reported by ANTARA from Kyodo, Friday, June 5.

Concerns over the continuity of imperial succession have been growing as the 1947 Imperial Family Law only allows men who have an emperor's lineage from the father's side to inherit the throne.

In addition, female members of the imperial family are required to give up their imperial status if they marry ordinary citizens.

The rule led to the number of members of the imperial family to continue to shrink from generation to generation.

Currently, Emperor Naruhito, 66, has only three heirs in the succession line, namely his younger brother Crown Prince Fumihito, 60, his nephew Prince Hisahito, 19, and his uncle Prince Hitachi, 90.

Without a change in the rules, the continuity of the imperial succession will depend heavily on Prince Hisahito as the only young heir in the current line of succession.

Although it is an important step, the draft consensus has not resolved all the issues being debated.

A number of members of the Japanese Constitutional Democratic Party (CDPJ) are still questioning the granting of imperial family status to men from the previous branch of the family who were raised as ordinary citizens.

In addition, the draft has not decided whether the husbands and children of female members of the imperial family who retain their status will also obtain imperial status.

The draft consensus will be submitted at a meeting of 13 parties and parliamentary groups on Monday.

If it receives approval at the next meeting on Wednesday, the document will be submitted to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as a basis for drafting a revision of the law.

According to a source who knows the process of discussing it, the legislation has the potential to be passed before the parliamentary session ends on July 17.