The Emperor of Japan, Naruhito, visits the atomic bombing memorial in Nagasaki with his wife, Empress Masako, and his only child, Princess Aiko.Image: keystone
July 17, 2026, 07:52July 17, 2026, 07:52
Japan’s government of ultra-conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wants to secure the future of the monarchy through adoption – but women are denied the throne. As expected, parliament passed a revision of the Imperial House Act, which has been in force since 1947, allowing male members of former side lines to be readmitted into the imperial family. These branches lost their status after the Second World War and have since become private individuals. The background is that the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world is gradually running out of offspring.
There are currently only three candidates theoretically available as successors to Emperor Naruhito (66): Tenno’s brother, Crown Prince Akishino (60), his 19-year-old son Prince Hisahito and Naruhito’s uncle Prince Hitachi – who is already 90. If Hisahito, as the only remaining prince in the youngest generation of the imperial family, does not provide for a male child, the change in the law stipulates that a male descendant of an adopted family member could ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne. From now on, only male descendants of the emperor’s male family line are allowed to take the throne.
Equality is not a priority, says Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.Image: keystone
Princess Aiko is denied the throne
The first significant revision of the Imperial House Act since 1947 shows “that gender equality is not one of the priorities” of Prime Minister Takaichi – the first woman in this office – said Sven Saaler from Sophia University in Tokyo to the dpa news agency. “With the change in the law, a woman on the imperial throne has become even more distant.” Many people in Japan want Princess Aiko (24) – the only child of the emperor and his wife Masako – to be empress.
The Imperial House Act only provides for a second change that female members can henceforth retain their imperial status even after marrying commoners. However, their spouses and children are not accepted into the imperial family and remain ordinary citizens. Experts doubt that the revision of the Imperial House Law will solve the problem of succession to the throne. The imperial family now only has 16 members. (nil/sda/dpa)