Japanese Imperial succession controversy
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Historical background
Ruling Empresses in Japanese history
Eight women have served as tenno, i.e reigning Empresses, during the approximately 1,500-year recorded history of Japan. Furthermore two of those empresses have, after abdicating, reascended the throne under different names. The last time Japan had a reigning Empress was in 1771, when Empress Go-Sakuramachi abdicated in favor of her nephew, Emperor Go-Momozono.
Post Meiji-era laws
(See Emperor of Japan: Succession)
Women were barred from the throne first time in 1889 by German-Prussian-originated law during the 19th century Meiji Restoration, and this prohibition was continued by the Imperial Household Law of 1947, enacted under Japan's post-World War II constitution because of demands of American occupation. The 1947 law further restricts the succession to legitimate male descendants in the male line of Meiji only (excluding other male lines of imperial dynasty, such as Fushimi, Higashikuni, Kitashirakawa, etc), and specifically bars the emperor and other members of the imperial family from adopting children.
The current situation
Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako have one child, HIH Princess Aiko (her official appellation is Toshi no Miya, or Princess Toshi), born on December 1, 2001. The child's birth, which occurred more than eight years after her parents' marriage and after the Crown Princess had considerable (and widely noted) difficulty in conceiving a child, has sparked a lively debate in Japan about Imperial succession. To add to this dearth of male heirs, Crown Prince Naruhito's brother, Prince Akishino, only has two daughters, and the two other collateral members of the Imperial Family, Prince Tomohito of Mikasa and the late Prince Takamado, also have daughters. No male heir to the throne has been born in forty years (see Current order of succession). To complicate matters, Kiko, Princess Akishino, is currently pregnant, making it possible though not at all certain that a male child may be born, to be the only male of the entire generation under 40 in an otherwise female-offspring dynasty (if the child is male, it remains to be seen whether he in his turn will be able to sire more male issue, an eventuality not at all certain but the sole possibility to continue the present succession system without changes).
Some people, as The Japan Times' editorial on February 12, 2006[link], express their hope that Princess Kiko's child would be a daughter, so that Princess Aiko could become reigning empress. They stressed that it is necessary to have an empress regnant to act as a symbol for social reform over womens' issues in Japan. The Asahi Shimbun published an editorial on May 5, 2006[link] stating that they believed the current system was unsustainable. Although it did not expressly call for the law to allow women to sit on the throne, it said that the birth of a male child to Princess Kiko could not provide a long-term solution to the issue of the imperial succession and that flexibility was needed for the continuation of the imperial family.
Timeline of events
- On January 24, 2005, the Japanese government announced that it would consider allowing the Crown Prince and Princess to adopt a male child, in order to avoid a possible "heir crisis". Adoption is an age-old imperial Japanese tradition, for dynastic purposes prohibited only in modern times by Western influence. The child would presumably be adopted from former imperial branches who lost imperial status after World War II. However, a government-appointed panel of experts submitted a report on October 25, 2005, recommending that the Imperial succession law be amended to permit equal primogeniture. While it is true that most succession events in Japan had since time immemorial went in favor of a male heir, not necessarily the eldest of the sons themselves, it nevertheless is grounded in two precedents (of 1629 and of 642) that an imperial princess has occasionally ascended the throne in preference and prior to her younger brothers.
- In November, 2005, it was reported [link] that Emperor Akihito's cousin Prince Tomohito of Mikasa had privately announced objection to the reversal of the male-only succession, in a magazine's column of the welfare association which he serves as president. Female succession is an age-old imperial Japanese tradition, prohibited only less than 120 years ago due to German influence of Western dynastic practices. Prince Tomohito had suggested the four options to continue the male-only line succession there; the fourth was the concubine which was allowed by the former law of imperial succession. However, this is clearly the minority view. Public opinion surveys have repeatedly shown widespread support for permitting women to ascend the throne.
- On January 20, 2006, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi used part of his annual keynote speech to address the controversy when he pledged to submit a bill to the Japanese Diet letting women ascend to the throne in order that imperial succession may be continued into the future in a stable manner. Koizumi did not announce any particular timing for the legislation to be introduced, nor did he provide details about its content, but said that it would be in line with the conclusions of the 2005 government panel.[link]
- On February 1, 2006, former trade minister Takeo Hiranuma invoked controversy by arguing against the proposed reform bill because Princess Aiko might marry a foreigner in the future [link]. A precedent, Empress Koken's relationship with a foreigner man, had however not then been an obstacle for her to even reascend the throne as Empress Shotoku. A similar fear has not been expressed to hinder succession of males, though also they may marry foreigners - having just not yet done so. The probability of foreign marriage is hardly higher regarding Aiko than any of her male relatives.
- On February 6, 2006, it was announced that Prince Akishino's wife Princess Kiko is pregnant, due in September. If the baby is male, according to the current succession law he will be third in line to the throne, but Princess Aiko, who now holds no right to succession, would have precedence over him as well as over her uncle too, if the law is changed. [link]
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