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Japan is running out of royals. So why won’t it let women become emperor?
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- Japan faces a royal succession crisis with only three eligible male heirs to the Chrysanthemum throne, two of whom are over 60, threatening the survival of the world's oldest monarchy.
- The government proposes reinstating former male-only royal branches to expand the pool of male successors, while firmly opposing allowing women to ascend the throne, despite public openness to female emperors.
- The Imperial House Law of 1947 restricted succession to male descendants and downsized the imperial family, exacerbating the shortage of heirs as female members must leave the family upon marrying commoners.
- Scholars and critics argue that excluding women from succession is misogynistic and unnecessary, noting historical precedents of female emperors and contrasting Japan’s stance with other countries that accept female monarchs.
- Supporters of tradition warn that changing the male-only succession could undermine the monarchy's legitimacy and national unity, while opponents advocate for gender equality and modernization of imperial succession laws.
