Japan enshrines in law male-only succession for its shrinking imperial family

Key Points:

• Japan's parliament revised the 19th-century Imperial House Law to maintain male-only succession, allowing only paternal-lineage men to become emperor, raising concerns over the shrinking imperial family and excluding popular female heirs like Princess Aiko.
• The revisions permit adoption of distant male relatives to father future heirs and allow princesses to retain royal status after marrying commoners, although their spouses and children will not be royals.
• Critics argue the changes reinforce a patriarchal system, treating male royals as essential for succession while pressuring female royals for male offspring, amid public calls for female emperors and opposition to gender discrimination.
• The imperial family faces instability due to a limited number of male heirs, with the current line including Emperor Naruhito's brother, nephew, and elderly uncle, while the family overall is shrinking due to strict succession rules and princesses losing status upon marrying commoners.
• The government also enacted a controversial law banning desecration of the national flag, seen by opponents as a move to suppress dissent and support conservative agendas under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.