Japan Revises Royal Succession Rules as Imperial Family Shrinks

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For the first time since 1949, Japan has updated its Imperial House Law to expand the number of eligible members of the Japanese royal family, but the new rule continues to exclude women. Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Nahurito and Empress Masako, is still not eligible to succeed her father on the throne.

Per BBC, “The bill, passed by the upper house on Friday, allows the imperial family to adopt distant male relatives over the age of 15 and lets women keep their royal status after marrying outside the family. But it does not change the law barring women from ascending the throne despite wide public support for a female emperor, meaning Princess Aiko, the only child of the current emperor, is still not eligible to succeed the throne.”

Currently, there are are only three people eligible to follow Emperor Nahurito on the Chrysanthemum Throne: his 60-year-old brother, Crown Prince Fumihito, his 19-year-old nephew, Prince Hisahito, and his 90-year-old uncle, Prince Hitachi.

Imperial Household Agency chief Buichiro Kuroda said in a statement following the bill’s passage today that his agency “will do everything it can appropriately to support smooth activity for the Imperial Family members in line with [the revisions], while fully taking into consideration their feelings.”

The distant male relatives who now could be eligible for succession trace back to eleven imperial families who renounced their royal status in 1947. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi defended the position, saying the the male bloodline is “the only source of the emperor’s authority and legitimacy.” Opinion polls in Japan, however, show high public support for a female monarch, namely Princess Aiko.

Five single princesses, including Aiko, will also be impacted by today’s change to the Imperial House Law: If they marry commoners, they would keep their royal status and continue undertaking official duties. Aiko’s cousin Mako renounced her status when she married commoner Kei Komuro in 2021; the couple now live in the New York City suburbs.

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