Japan’s parliament has revised the Imperial House Law, reaffirming that only men from the paternal bloodline can inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne despite concerns over the shrinking imperial family.
The changes allow distant male relatives from former royal branches to be adopted into the imperial family to father future heirs. They also allow princesses to retain their royal status after marrying commoners.
Princess Aiko, the 24-year-old daughter of Emperor Naruhito, remains ineligible to succeed her father because she is a woman. Under the law, the line of succession passes to the emperor’s younger brother, Crown Prince Akishino, and then to his son, Prince Hisahito.
“It’s a declaration to prevent female monarchs … and to defend the male-lineage at all costs,” said Hideya Kawanishi, a Nagoya University expert on monarchy. “They cannot say it’s male chauvinism, so they call it tradition.”
Critics say the revised law strengthens a centuries-old male succession system while failing to address concerns over the imperial family’s declining size and ageing membership.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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