Japan Revises Succession Law to Secure Male Heirs, Keeps Ban on Female Emperors

Change allows distant male relatives to rejoin imperial family, but debate over a female monarch persists

Japan has revised its imperial succession law to allow male relatives who left the royal family after World War II to be adopted back in, provided they are over the age of 15, according to the BBC and NPR. The change is intended to secure a future supply of male heirs to the Chrysanthemum Throne, but it leaves intact the long-standing ban on women ascending to the position of emperor.

The revision comes amid a broader public debate over Japan's shrinking imperial family and whether the succession rules should be modernized. NPR reported that a popular Japanese princess has helped drive public support for allowing a female emperor, a change that remains politically contentious.

Japan's first female prime minister opposes opening the throne to women, according to NPR, illustrating the divide between public sentiment and the government's current position. The imperial family has for decades faced a dwindling number of male heirs, prompting lawmakers to look for ways to expand the pool of eligible successors without altering the male-only line of succession that has defined the monarchy.

The issue is likely to remain a flashpoint in Japanese politics as the imperial family continues to shrink and pressure builds for a broader overhaul of succession rules.

— Compiled from reporting by the BBC and NPR.