Japan Passes Royal Household Law Revision, Preserving Male-Only Succession

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Japan’s upper house on Friday, July 17, approved amendments to the Imperial House Law that allow female members of the imperial family to keep their royal status after marriage and let male descendants from former imperial branches rejoin the royal family through adoption, but it kept the male-only succession rule intact. The vote passed 184-57 among 241 lawmakers. The revised law comes as public support for a female emperor remains strong, with The Mainichi reporting that 60% of respondents backed the idea, while Japanese media said the new measure did not reflect public opinion. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the shrinking number of imperial family members is an urgent issue and that the government would respect the legislature’s view. Under the revision, 11 male descendants of former imperial households can be adopted into the royal family if they are at least 15, unmarried and childless, but they themselves will not be eligible to inherit the throne. If they later have sons, those sons would be in the line of succession. The current younger generation of heirs is limited to Emperor Naruhito’s younger brother, Crown Prince Fumihito, and his son, Prince Hisahito.