"The Era of Male-Only Emperors Is Over"... Japanese Media Praises Princess Aiko

Japanese Media Emphasize Need to Reform Imperial Succession System
Female Royals Must Give Up Royal Status After Marriage
Emperor's Only Daughter Princess Aiko... 90% Support for Female Emperor

There have been repeated calls in Japan for measures to allow women to inherit the throne. On the 5th, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun editorial pointed out that “the remaining task surrounding the Imperial Family is to consider a stable succession plan,” followed by the Asahi Shimbun on the 6th publishing a special article stating, “The future of the Imperial Family is shaking,” and emphasizing “the need to improve the succession system.”

Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito, is seen smiling brightly while attending the graduation ceremony at Gakushuin University in Tokyo last year. Photo by Yonhap News

According to Japan’s Imperial Household Law, female members of the royal family must give up their royal status upon marriage and cannot inherit the throne. In the past, Princess Sayako, the younger sister of Emperor Naruhito, left the royal family and took her husband’s surname after marrying a commoner, and recently, Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of Emperor Naruhito, followed the same path.

Currently, there are three royal family members eligible for succession in Japan, and among Emperor Naruhito’s children’s generation, only Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Fumihito, remains. Last year, the average age of the Imperial Family was 60.2 years, indicating aging. In 1994, there were 26 royal family members, but now the number has decreased to 17, and as princesses marry and lose their royal status, the number is expected to decline further.

Considering the shortage of candidates for the throne, the need for female or maternal-line succession has been raised several times within Japan. Last year, both ruling and opposition parties discussed two proposals based on a 2021 government expert panel report: allowing female royals to remain in the Imperial Family after marriage or adopting male children from former royal families. However, it is reported that no consensus was reached.

Emperor Naruhito has one daughter, Princess Aiko. Public opinion in Japan strongly supports a “female emperor.” In an April last year Kyodo News poll, 90% of respondents expressed support for a female emperor.

Before taking office, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed the view that “female succession should also be discussed,” but after assuming office, he has been cautious due to pressure from opposition factions within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). It is understood that the hardline conservatives within the LDP firmly support maintaining the current patrilineal and male-only succession system.

However, since the LDP failed to secure a majority in the House of Representatives election last November and became a minority party, some evaluations suggest that now is the right time to discuss female succession. Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, has argued that “spouses and children of female royals should also be granted royal status.” The Asahi Shimbun reported that “in the ongoing ruling-opposition talks in the Diet for stable succession, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have agreed to gather the ‘consensus of the legislature’ during this year’s regular Diet session.”