Role of women in spotlight as imperial family members dwindle

Just abolish the imperial system.

Japan needs to evolve or perish. If the Imperial Family is to survive women need to be treated equally.

Japan is collapsing on itself : men or women can't even get more than 3 kids, get divorced or say sh.t to official duties when needed.

Poor rich people.

It would seem that every aspect of Japanese law needs changing.

It is a surprise for me many foreigners here basically support Japan's imperial system and they are even fans. There were many young Japanese who died in the wars shouting "Tenno Heika Banzai！

Oh hell, please, that was two Emperor's ago, and even "that" Emperor lost his "god" status thanks to MacArthur, and became a "regular" guy, not to mention he is long dead too!

How many hundreds of years have to go by before folks let this BS go?

They must be a bit envious of the British monarchy with all the boys that have popped out!

"Historically speaking, the succession principle based only on male lineage has firmly established the status of emperors. Will a future emperor with female lineage be considered legitimate? We should not confuse imperial succession with modern society's trend toward gender equality and women's empowerment," he said.

A couple of generations ago the empire was treated as a living God. And then he wasn't. Yet the imperial system survived. There is no reason why it shouldn't again.

And the fact that women have to give up their royal status on marriage seems particularly unnecessary.

Japan's imperial system will survive a change like this. While England had a men-first succession rule, it did not stop a couple of absolute female rulers in the 16th century - Elizabeth I being particularly successful and more recently two highly successful constitional monarchs (Victoria and Elizabeth I).

The rule that stated that the first born would be monarch is new however, a little over 10 years old. Not that England will have a Queen for another 100 years.

Experts are sounding the alarm that the imperial line may disappear completely if the Imperial House Law is not revised.

Descendants of the magical sun goddess and all but they are not above the law or politicians... hmmm...

The emperor is the symbol of Japan meaning the emperor refelects the changes of the times accordingly. When Japan was militaristic, the emperor was militaristic, when Japan became democratic, the emperor became democratic thereby at the time when men and women became equal, introduction of woman emperor is a natural result.

That'd be because currying favor with the docile and easily influenced masses keeps them locked into their lifestyle of tax-paid riches and opulence. I totally understand the women who want to marry out of such an ugly mess of an existence.

Please join the 21st century.

Japan should have an Empress right now.

"If an emperor is free to abdicate, it won’t be long before a man is free to decline the throne. Abdication, as the free choice of the emperor, can only lead in time to a man’s right to refuse succession. [When this comes to pass,] the emperor system, which depends on an unbroken line of male heirs, will collapse."

Historically, abdication was the rule, not the exception; more emperors abdicated than died on the throne, and executive power was in the hands of regents and/or cloistered ex-emperors.

Abdication, as the free choice of the emperor, can only lead in time to a man’s right to refuse succession

And this would be a bad thing because why??

The constitution supposedly guarantees freedom to choose one's occupation.

(The Constitution specifies 'to the event that it does not interfere with the public welfare', but that surely refers to limitations on a citizen's right to choose to be a bank robber or scam artist, not an obligation to be a pampered slave on account of having been born the son of one's parents?)

It is a surprise for me many foreigners here basically support Japan's imperial system and they are even fans. There were many young Japanese who died in the wars shouting "Tenno Heika Banzai！

For someone who is supposedly a descendant from a "sun goddess" they sure treat women pretty bad.

The prime minister and his supporters

That's Nippon Kaigi and the Shinto establishment

believe the hereditary monarchy, which is said to stretch back more than 2,600 years with the throne consistently passed down the male line, should continue the same way.

They believe that the Emperor is semi-divine and as such he should have no public duties at all. None. They want him in the Palace, praying. They were totally against his abdication and are terrified that setting this precedent will permit someone in the future to decline the throne, thus ending the semi--divine bloodline.

Hidetsugu Yagi, a professor of constitutional law at Reitaku University

And radical ultra-conservative advisor to Shinzo Abe. He said:

"If an emperor is free to abdicate, it won’t be long before a man is free to decline the throne. Abdication, as the free choice of the emperor, can only lead in time to a man’s right to refuse succession. [When this comes to pass,] the emperor system, which depends on an unbroken line of male heirs, will collapse."

There was a fascinating article about this very topic on the Asia-Pacific Journal website recently, written by John Breen:

https://apjjf.org/2019/09/Breen.html

Bizzare that women are not allowed to ascend when you consider that their royalty stems from being direct descendents of Amaterasu the sun GODDESS....

The emperor is the symbol of Japan meaning the emperor refelects the changes of the times accordingly. When Japan was militaristic, the emperor was militaristic, when Japan became democratic, the emperor became democratic thereby at the time when men and women became equal, introduction of woman emperor is a natural result.

Unlike former Emperor Akihito and former Empress Michiko, who usually engaged with the public as a couple, Emperor Naruhito will perform public functions on his own as his wife suffers from adjustment disorder, but the general public will soon get used to it, said Masahiro Yamada, a professor of sociology at Chuo University.

Let's not forget that the former Empress Michiko went through many of the same things that Masako sama is now going through. The Michiko-sama couldnt talk for quite a long time due to stress from being a "commoner" and having to deal with Emperor Hirohito and his wife, who reportedly was quite hard on her!

Maybe a good reason not to revise the law.

It would be the only good reason.

But Abe is seen as negative to an early start of discussions to ensure stable imperial successions, as he has in the past called for the return of distant blood relatives -- members of 11 collateral branches that left the imperial family in 1947.

They didn't just "leave" they were cut out by MacArthur following WWII!

Let's also remember too that Abe only pays lip service to women's issues and this would be huge. If women are allowed back into the line of succession it would also mean that women are just as capable as men (we already know this, but Abe and Company do not) to be the "leader" of Japan!

Abe can not "bow" to a woman!

Oh it would also mean that the sumo association's belief that women are "not pure" so they can not stand in the ring is BS too!

Let's be honest, the role of women in the imperial family reflects the role of women in Japan generally. Women just aren't quite important enough to be treated fairly.

It would be a step in the right direction to allow women to ascend to the throne. Let it be.