Japan keeps ban on female emperor in imperial succession overhaul
What’s new: Parliament let princesses keep royal status after marriage and reopened adoption of distant male relatives to shore up a shrinking family.
Japan’s parliament approved changes to imperial succession rules on Friday that aim to bolster the shrinking royal family while preserving the ban on a woman taking the Chrysanthemum Throne. The measure, passed by the upper house after clearing the lower house last week, lets female members of the imperial family retain royal status after marrying commoners. It also allows the family to adopt single male descendants, age 15 or older, from 11 former imperial branches removed after World War II. The law still bars women from inheriting the throne, leaving Princess Aiko, the 24-year-old daughter of Emperor Naruhito, ineligible. The succession line centers on Crown Prince Fumihito, Prince Hisahito and the emperor’s elderly uncle.