Japan revises law on royals, keeps blocking women from throne

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Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Japan revises law on royals, keeps blocking women from throne A popular princess drives support for having a female Japanese Emperor. But the country's first female prime minister opposes it. Asia Japan revises law on royals, keeps blocking women from throne July 17, 20261:29 AM ET Anthony Kuhn Japan's Emperor Naruhito leaves following a ceremony to proclaim his enthronement to the world at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2019. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty hide caption Japan's upper house of parliament has voted to pass controversial revisions to a law governing who can inherit the throne in the world's oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, just days after the lower house of parliament voted it through. The revision's stated aim is to secure the number of imperial family members, and maintain their public duties and activities, as the family's ranks dwindle and age. But to critics, the revision has another "very clear objective: to prevent the future emergence of a female emperor," says Seiichiro Noboru, a former Japanese diplomat with ties to the imperial family. The revisions allow princesses to remain in the imperial family after they marry a commoner. It also allows the imperial family to adopt male-line descendants from former branches of the imperial family. Enlarge this image Japan's Emperor Naruhito leaves following a ceremony to proclaim his enthronement to the world at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2019. Issei Kato/Pool/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption Japan's Emperor Naruhito leaves following a ceremony to proclaim his enthronement to the world at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2019. Princesses would be allowed to remain the royal family after marriage, but would have to perform royal duties without any chance of inheriting the throne. The adopted men—having been born as commoners—could not inherit the throne either, but any of their future male offspring would be eligible. The imperial family is down to its last young heir, 19-year-old Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, who is 66.This has led to a public sense of crisis about the future of the imperial family. "The crucial point is that if a female emperor were recognized, we wouldn't need to resort to such a complex adoption line," argues Noboru. She has a degree in Japanese literature, and now works full time for the Japanese Red Cross Society. Thrilled crowds often turn out for her public appearances. Noboru says Princess Aiko is one reason most Japanese support the idea of female emperors, with polls showing 60% to 90% in favor of it. FILE - Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, on Oct. 21, 2025. Eugene Hoshiko/Pool AP hide caption But that number does not include Japan's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. "The unparalleled historic fact that the imperial line has been maintained through the male line for 126 generations is the foundation of the emperor's authority and legitimacy," she told a party convention in April. In fact, in nearly twelve centuries, Japan has had eight female emperors, descended from the male line, in other words, the child or grandchild of a male emperor, just like Princess Aiko. Its leader saw emperors as the commanders-in-chief of imperial armies, the patriarchs of a "family-state," and the semi-divine descendants of Shinto deities. Married women, by contrast, were classified by the Meiji civil code as legally powerless, unable to own property or sign contracts without their husbands' consent. The Meiji government also wrote a safety valve into the imperial house law: concubines. Japan's Princess Aiko attends the New Year's appearance by the Japanese imperial family at the Imperial Palace on January 02, 2026 in Tokyo. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty hide caption Due to high rates of infertility, infant and maternal mortality rates, male heirs were few, and many never survived to adulthood. Nearly half of Japan's 125 emperors were born to concubines, or as a 2005 report by a government advisory panel put it, "of illegitimate descent." Noboru, the former diplomat, argues that barring women from the throne today violates constitutional guarantees against gender-based discrimination. And the constitution, he adds, is clear about where the emperor's authority comes from. "What the government is attempting to do clearly runs counter to public opinion," he says. "Article 1 of the Japanese Constitution states that the Emperor is the symbol of the nation and that his position is determined by the will of the people." Japan's constitution gives sovereignty to the people. As a figurehead, the emperor is not supposed to weigh in on politics. But he did on this issue, albeit very carefully. "I hope the discussions about securing an adequate number of imperial family members can gain the understanding of the people," he told a press conference last month. Chie Kobayashi contributed to this report in Tokyo. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor