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Summary of article:
Japan’s new version of the “Imperial Family Code” came into force on the 24th. Although it allows female royals to retain their status after marriage, it still maintains the old palace family’s system of male inheritance and adoption, leading to suspicions of discrimination against women and conservative right-wing views.
takaichi sanae (Sane Takaichi) Forced by the governmentJapan The new version of the “Imperial Family Model” came into effect on the 24th. It caused controversy in Japan due to its maintenance of the male succession system and the conservatism inherent in it.
The amendment to the “Imperial Model” was passed by the Japanese Diet in July this year. The new version of the “royal model” has two main changes: first, female royals can retain their royal status after marrying commoners, but their husbands and children will still remain commoners. Second, the imperial family can adopt male members over the age of 15 and inherit the emperor’s blood through ancestral blood from descendants of the 11 “old palace families” who were deprived of their imperial status after Japan’s defeat in World War II. Such “adopted sons” of the Imperial Family are not eligible to inherit the throne, but their male descendants may inherit the Emperor’s throne.
The modified “Imperial Model” came into effect in 1947 when Japan was occupied by the United States. At that time, 51 members of 11 imperial families who were granted palace titles, the “Gong family”, were stripped of their imperial status. These families were called the “Old Palace Families”.
Currently, there are three people in the Japanese Imperial Family who are eligible to inherit the throne. First in the line of succession is Emperor Naruhito’s younger brother Crown Prince Akishino, second in the line of succession is Prince Akishino’s son Prince Hisahito and third in the line of succession is 90-year-old Prince Hitachi.
Japan’s Kyodo News, quoting Keiko Hongo, an emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo, reported on the 24th that the amendment to the “Imperial Model” was not fully discussed and the decision was taken by the Japanese government and the ruling camp. The new version of the “Royal Model” embodies the idea of ”thinking that women are not good”, which makes people feel quite unreasonable and inconsistent with the national consciousness.
Atsushi Koketsu, an honorary professor at Yamaguchi University in Japan, believes that the new version of the “Imperial Model” reflects the attempt of Japan’s right-wing conservative forces to return to the “Empire of Japan”, that is, to block the possibility of Naruhito’s daughter Princess Aiko becoming emperor, because they think it is not appropriate for women to wear military uniforms and hold commanding power. It is precisely because they have fallen into militaristic thinking that they are so obsessed with direct male inheritance.
Summary FAQ
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The new version of the system mainly includes two items: female royals can retain their royal status after marriage, but their spouses and children will remain commoners; The royal family may also adopt worthy individuals from among the male descendants of the old palace family to continue the male line.
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The center of controversy is that it still emphasizes male inheritance and has been criticized for excluding the possibility of a female monarch through institutional design, leading the outside world to believe that the amended law has a clearly conservative stance and does not fully reflect society’s expectations for gender equality.
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There are currently three people eligible to inherit the throne, namely Prince Fumihito, Prince Hisahito, and Prince Masahito. Scholars criticized the amended law for not being fully discussed and for blocking the possibility of his favorite son becoming emperor, reflecting right-wing conservative and militaristic thinking.
