Japan Retains Male Line of Succession Despite 83 Percent of the Public Supporting a Female Emperor

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten, Saturday, June 17, 2023, during a state visit to Indonesia. (Photo. Dok. BPMI)

Japanese Parliament revised the Imperial Household Law to curb the shrinking number of imperial family members. However, the most sensitive rule remains unchanged. The throne can still only be inherited by men from the father's line.

Kyodo News, quoted on Friday, July 17, said the parliament passed the revision on Friday. This is the first substantive change to the law in force since 1947.

The revision brought two major changes. The imperial family can adopt men aged 15 and over from former branch families who are descendants of the emperor through the male line.

Female members also no longer lose their imperial status after marrying commoners.

However, their husbands and children remain ordinary citizens and cannot join the imperial family. The female members will also be recorded in the Basic Population Register like most Japanese citizens to help with daily affairs and maintain family unity.

The new rules pave the way for unmarried men from 11 former princely families to join the imperial family. The families lost their imperial status after World War II.

A total of 51 members of 11 branch families lost their status when Japan was under the occupation of the United States.

Based on the revision, the male descendants of the adopted man can ascend the throne as emperor. However, the path for women or the emperor's descendants through the mother's line remains closed.

Japan now has only three male heirs to Emperor Naruhito. This condition makes the sustainability of the imperial family an urgent issue, but the discussion continues to divide political views.

The conservative coalition led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been criticized by the opposition. The discussion in parliament was considered less in-depth, while the government was considered more likely to maintain the tradition of succession through the male line from the father's side.

Cross-party negotiations over months involved the views of 13 parties and parliamentary groups. However, the agreement reached did not discuss changes to the succession rules.

The 1947 law stipulates that the throne is inherited by male descendants in the male line of the imperial family. The provision remains in place.

However, poll results show public opinion moving in a different direction. A Kyodo News survey in May showed 83.0 percent of respondents supported women becoming emperor. As many as 13.1 percent rejected.

Japan has had a number of female emperors in the past. However, the succession to the throne still takes place through the male line.

This revision also changes the rule that for decades has made the number of imperial family members continue to decrease. Previously, women had to leave the imperial family after marrying commoners.

The two changes were first proposed by a government panel in 2021. The proposal came after a non-binding resolution in 2017 asked the government to immediately find ways to keep the imperial succession stable.

However, the resolution has not opened discussions on female emperors or descendants through the mother's line because it is considered too early.

The coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party included a revision of the imperial law in their agreement. Takaichi, the first woman to become prime minister of Japan, made it one of the government's top agendas.

The new system can be reviewed every 30 years by looking at the development of the number and sustainability of the imperial family.