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According to the Imperial House Law enacted in 1947, the Chrysanthemum Throne can only be passed down through the male line, the NYT reports. Today, there are only three official heirs: 90-year-old Prince Hitachi, Emperor Naruhito’s younger brother Prince Akishino, and his 19-year-old son Prince Hisahito.
The imperial family consists of 16 people in total, only five of whom are men. By comparison, in 1990 the family had 20 members, and in 1947, 67. Experts warn that such a limited membership already makes it difficult to fulfill numerous state and representative duties, including participation in official ceremonies and foreign visits. Moreover, the continuation of the dynasty effectively depends on a single young heir—Prince Hisahito.
To resolve the current situation, the authorities are considering the possibility of reinstating representatives of the former collateral branches of the Imperial House—the Kuni, Higashikuni, Kaya, and Takeda families—into the Imperial Family. After the war, they were removed from the imperial family as part of reforms carried out under the supervision of the American occupation authorities, and have since lived as ordinary citizens.
However, this idea is controversial. Many Japanese are skeptical about the prospect of people who have been outside the court for decades joining the imperial family, considering such an expansion artificial.
At the same time, public support is growing for another solution to the problem—granting women the right to inherit the throne. Women have repeatedly occupied the Japanese throne at various periods in the country’s history, but conservative forces oppose changing the current order. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is particularly steadfast in its defense of the exclusively male line of succession.
The details of possible changes remain under discussion. It is unclear how many members of former branches of the imperial family will be able to obtain the new status and how their participation in the life of the imperial family will be determined. Emperor Naruhito declined to comment on the discussion, expressing only the hope that any decision will be understood by the public.
While Japanese authorities seek a way to preserve the traditional male-line order of succession, public support for allowing women to ascend to the throne continues to grow. Which path the country will ultimately take remains one of the most debated issues regarding the future of the Japanese monarchy.
