Succession will shrink number of Japan's imperial heirs to 2

I guess if it shrinks to one, and the son doesn’t have sons (for whatever reason), then once again the government will likely consider allowing women to rule. That would rock.

What? No pegboard? Why do they rank above our nearly new E & E? (Snark alert).

Stop it, stop it now, you were talking about allowing women until pop a boy came out. Get with modern times.

Cameron:

...once again the government will likely consider allowing women to rule. That would rock.

Yes, that will be great. There is, however, one more option for Japan can do: reinstate Kyu-Kozoku (旧皇族), or Branch of Imperial Family, who were stripped their status of Imperial Family in 1947 by US Occupation Authority. There are ten such families, among them are several young male candidates, who, according to the long Japanese tradition, are eligible to be an emperor.

Let women ascend to the throne. Could they do any worse than the men?

Dump the misogyny and let a woman be on the throne, basic common sense really.

This was a good opportunity to move the Imperial house back to Kyoto. Too many institutions are concentrated in Tokyo.

Get rid of this system. It serves no purpose. It's a waste of taxpayer money and enslaves these people in service to a cynical political setup that insinuates that nobody but the usual power brokers have real power.

The Heisei Emperor is a tremendously honorable man who has done much within the restrictions of his position to restore some dignity to the citizens of Japan in whom true sovereignty resides. I respect him and his family as people, but I do not respect the imperial order, and I suspect that deep down the Emperor himself would sooner see it gone.

They look like nice people, but from the photo, not the most fashionable on the block.

God luck to them as they know they don't deserve their status but are enslaved i' that system.

I wish them success in their projects because they can change the world to make it better.

I like especially Fumihito because he is outspoken, a very rare unjapanese quality.

Even though they are all VIPs with unlimited wealth

Which wealth? What a dumb thing to say. Do you really believe that? Those people are born with a gold spoon in their mouth paid with tax payers money. Yet, they serve no purpose, they just exist on this Earth for the sole purpose to make fake smiles. People in this country are working to the death often for miserable salaries and we have people here getting a luxury life not from the merit of their work but from their status.

If only Princess Kako could ascend the throne, the world would be a much better place.

And?

Beautiful photo capturing the Imperial family in a natural pose in theyre home, as we have never see them. Even though they are all VIPs with unlimited wealth, they all seem real nice and like a normal Japanese family. I hope young Prince Hisahito is feeling better after a madman invaded his school last week.

There’s no need to worry about imperial succession. If the 12-year-old Prince Hisahito has three children, at least one of them will be a boy with the probability of 87.25%(1-1/2x1/2x1/2). And four children, the chances increase to 93.75%.

Secret of long continued Japan's Imperial System comes from our ancestral worship. They are respected as the descendents of the Japan's founders nearly 2,000 years ago. Description of Japanese history begins with the mythology of their ancestors.  So, their blood is important. If anybody or a commoner can become an emperor, the system will fall.