Japan Relaxes Imperial Succession Rules but Keeps Ban on Female Emperors

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Japan approved changes to imperial succession rules, but women remain barred from ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne despite strong public support.

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Japan's parliament has approved legislation relaxing some imperial succession rules amid growing concerns over the shrinking size of the imperial family.

Princess Aiko remains ineligible to inherit Japan's throne despite new legislation expanding options for preserving the imperial family.

The bill, passed by the upper house on Friday, allows the imperial family to adopt distant male relatives aged 15 and older and permits female members of the imperial family to retain their royal status after marrying outside the family, Kurumi Mori and Koh Ewe reported for BBC News.

However, the legislation does not amend the law prohibiting women from ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne, despite strong public support for allowing a female emperor.

As a result, Princess Aiko, the only child of the current emperor, remains ineligible to succeed to the throne.

The bill previously passed the lower house and will undergo the remaining legal procedures before taking effect. Japan has the world's oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, with a lineage believed to extend back more than 2,600 years.

Currently, Crown Prince Fumihito, the emperor's younger brother, is first in line to the throne. His son, Prince Hisahito, is second in line, while the emperor's elderly uncle remains the third and final eligible heir under the current succession law.

Without further legal reforms, the line of succession could eventually end if Prince Hisahito does not have a male heir.

Under the new legislation, male descendants from 11 former imperial branches that lost their royal status after World War II may be adopted back into the imperial family.

Female members of the imperial family will also be allowed to retain their royal status after marrying commoners.

Previously, they were required to relinquish their titles and leave the imperial family, as Princess Mako did in 2021 when she married her college sweetheart.