Female monarchs to be debated as Japan looks to secure imperial line

Time for the Woman to take charge! I would love nothing more than to see a Woman in this position. Mostly just because it is a H U G E slap in the face to the old men that think Women should be seen and not heard..

I was cycling near the imperial home in the heart of Tokyo on Saturday, and a police officer jumped out in front of me and directed me to continue along the sidewalk, which goes against the traffic laws. I inquired as to why, and he said it was because the emperor and entourage would be driving by. Further, I sought to clarify if this means laws and regulations of the land, that should apply fairly to everyone in a constitutional democracy, need not be followed if for exigent imperial circumstance? Without answering, he gruffly waved me on my way.

Yes, debate the gender bias of Japanese monarchical practice, but considering conditions of equal treatment, shouldn't the more significant issue be up for debate?

How about just abolishing monarchy and becoming a republic?

Japan Republic sounds right.

Very beautiful family.

Japanese people do not discuss and talk about negative influences of the imperial system that brought tragedies to them in recent past.

Why doesn’t the crown prince simple adopt a son?

Because some of the heavyweights on the nationalist side believe that the Emperor is literally a descendant of the Sun Goddess and that the "unbroken line" back to the first Emperor Jimmu must be maintained.

There's an arcane but very interesting article about the previous Emperor's abdication and the current debate here:

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

Sometimes the mask slips and they reveal their true beliefs:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/750529.stm

Samit Basu beat me to it. It's the 21st century. So called "royalty" has no place in this world. I was so disappointed when the boy was born. Such a wonderful opportunity to just let this stupid institution die out.

One should just remind the  government panel that the legitimacy of the imperial line is due to their claim of being descendants of GODDESS Amaterasu

... vowing to hold "careful discussions" without haste.

So .... if the normal processes of these government panels are followed, I guess we can expect a decision on how they're going to go about arranging for the beginning of discussions about forming a committee to debate the idea of considering the proposal to initiate an enquiry into the possibility of investigating whether or not these ideas should be considered formally in about ..... 20 years.

All monarchies should be abolished.

Well... with all my respect to Japan and all the Japanese people.

After reading the article, I cannot imagine only man are capable to lead the royal linage... and reminds me that this Spanish humor film could be real due to this kind of traditions...

https://www.thefilmcatalogue.com/films/los-japon-big-in-japan

400 years later that a real first Japanese embassy arrives to Spain,(Keichō embassy) a delegation from Japanese government are searching for a throne’s descendant from the ones who descent from the samurais that decided to live and rest on south Spain.

Japan had a female Emperess, Suiko Tennou, who lived from 554-628. Every Japanese person probably knows this. It should be easy to change the current system.

I was so disappointed when the boy was born.

I think most people were surprised more than disappointed. His mother was 42, hadn't given birth for 14 years and there was a great debate about female succession raging at the time. No male baby had been born in their family since 1965 so when he suddenly appeared it seemed like a miracle.

Imagine the panels, debates, meetings, and general teeth sucking if at some point in the future Prince Hisahito announced he was a proud gay man!

There would have to be all sorts of constitutional changes and attitude changes. I would love to see the utter confusion that would cause all these elites that sit on panels and make these decisions.

As I’ve said for decades now living in this country - it’s going to take a female PM for things to actually have a chance of changing significantly from the old boys network to something resembling a modern country.

Why doesn’t the crown prince simple adopt a son?

The “crown” prince already has a son, Hisahito, the nephew of the emperor.

All that has to be done is to reactivate the various cadet branches to secure the imperial line. And don't say security will be a problem - it won't. Who is 246th in line to the British Throne? I have no idea, but that person exists and they don't have a security detail.

So .... if the normal processes of these government panels are followed, I guess we can expect a decision on how they're going to go about arranging for the beginning of discussions about forming a committee to debate the idea of considering the proposal to initiate an enquiry into the possibility of investigating whether or not these ideas should be considered formally in about ..... 20 years.

That's IF they fast track the process.

Allow women to ascend to the throne. You're done. Takes less than 1 second.

Same old social nationalistic distractions from the government because of their failed COVID-19 response. We all know that Crown Prince Fumihito more importantly his wife is not interested in allowing a female to lead the royal family. They want their boy to be on the throne.

He will be speaking in public about the openness to the idea, but behind the scenes, he and organization that controls the royal family will be using nationalistic dog and whistle cues to make sure the oyajis stay in line.

Social commentary as a distraction! Rinse and repeat!

Why not just let the people elect the monarch once every ten years? Any Japanese person could stand for election. The early knockout rounds would make a great reality TV show.

IVF with PGD - problem solved.

Not in a million years. Poor Princess Aiko.

Monarchy is bad.

Sure, why not. Especially since there's already historical precedent. Ultimately it means nothing, the "monarchy" doesn't exist anymore, it is just window dressing on a tradition. I have never seen the mass appeal of symbolic royal families in countries like Japan or the UK.

I am sick of reading about this issue, the people are in favour of female succession, why doesn’t the government listen to the people????

It'll be fun to watch them scramble when they actually really face the likelihood that the imperial line will extinguish if they keep stubbornly sticking to these rules.

Technically there are 3 males in line right now, but really they are down to just one, Hisahito, who can potentially produce male heirs that would continue the line.

I don't envy him, and I especially don't envy his future wife, for the kind of pressure that will put on them. Pressure from absolutely the last people in the world you'd want pressuring you about your personal life at that.

The millennium "unbroken" paternal linage has been maintained by luck and accident rather than deliberate intent. It also came originally from the continent. There are other crucial elements constituting the imperial tradition. The role and function in relation to the state and populace have also evolved over time.

Time for the Woman to take charge!

I hope you are not using the senile old German British one as an example?

Japan Republic sounds right.

Usually one party systems would choose something like...People’s Democratic Republic of Japan.

Why not just let the people elect the monarch once every ten years? Any Japanese person could stand for election.

Elections lead to electioneering, corruption and party politics. Not a good idea.

How about making a (eg) 5-year stint on the throne the top prize in a special Takarakuji lottery? Tickets could be limited to say 10 per person or per household, to prevent rich folk attempting to buy their way into the monarchy, and a winner who didn't fancy being restrained and constrained in a gilded cage for 5 years could opt to take 2nd prize instead, and the winner of the second prize would get the position.

the people are in favour of female succession, why doesn’t the government listen to the people????

Has anyone asked Aiko's opinion? Maybe she would rather have the option of marrying out of the circus into obscurity and freedom?

I don't envy him, and I especially don't envy his future wife

Kunaicho has probably already got a shortlist of victims I mean candidates who are being brainwashed I mean groomed into feeling obliged I mean honoured to accept the role.

Female monarch is an oxymoron in Japan.

The photo portraits a contented happy family.

First and foremost.

This Government, wanton, constant creations of talking shops, on the dubious devious, pretense, of an duplicitous illusion of promoting change.

Japanese system'd rather allow to get several mistresses. That's the issue if you marry only one woman compare to old days.

Otherwise, so far no issue since there is Hisahito-kun, to whom I am wishing an happy wedding one day, plenty of kids and a long life.

The “divine wind”!!! So where was this “divine wind” when two nuclear bombs did more damage than Mongols could have possibly ever done! Or maybe just maybe if Mongols did invade, there would have been no need for the two bombs 700 years later, has anyone thought of that, hmm? So it could be said that the “divine wind” was not a good thing in the long run. And it is not going to blow this problem away either. The current Emperor and his wife are not suddenly going to produce a boy child are they! And that is the only that could be interpreted as “divine wind” in this case or should I say "divine interception"...

Who thinks this is why the Imperial Household have been stalling the wedding of Princess Mako?

Again? What a waste of time and money. Of course, nothing will happen.

Akishino-sama! i am very glad to see the Royal Family so happy and healthy! Once again so many negative commentaries about "removing emperor!" in the comments. Very Sad for me. Royal family is important for Japanese culture, and so it the CORRECT line of succession!

Not to worry, people. Japan will keep it's ranking of dead-last in gender equality in the G-20, and only slightly above countries where you can stone a woman to death for being seen without a burka, and they'll not allow a female monarch even in theory. Imagine! The GALL of people who think a WOMAN could do what the Emperor -- god -- can do, when there's a perfectly good pot of tea waiting to serve him!

Of course, nothing will happen.

If you expect things to happen, you've come to the wrong place.

They could just say they identify as a man and get this whole thing over already.

I'd love to have an Empress. Imagine the clothing she'd wear.

There was the perfectly good system of the Shinnôke before the Meiji emperor. the Shinnôke were branches of the imperial family able to succeed the throne in case of extinction. it did happen in 1779 after the death of emperor Go-Momozono with the ascent of emperor Kôkaku, ancestor of the actual emperor.

There is still members of the old shinnôke, they could probably reintegrated the kaya-no-miya family with Kaya Masanori as family head (the fushimi-no-miya will be extinct soon).

They could authorize young Hisahito to have concubines in the future...

Discuss? The staged photo tells it all with the sons hand on the knee of the emperor

PSmith:

Why doesn’t the crown prince simple adopt a son?

Because this is about the blood line, which supposedly goes back to Amaterazu.

You are welcome.

Bill Lewis

I was so disappointed when the boy was born. Such a wonderful opportunity to just let this stupid institution die out.

I hate to disappoint you but a fact is that even if the royal family has no male child, it does not necessarily means the end of the institution. Not only a female child can be a monarch, as it happened 10 times in Japanese history, but also there are currently possible male candidates today in relatives of the royal family.

The traditional rules was that if a current royal family has no child, one can be selected from relatives of the royal family. The most famous case was the 26th Emperor Keitai. Keitai was not the son of the immediate previous monarch, who died without a successor, at which time a fifth generation grandson of the 15th Emperor Ōjin, Keitai, came and ascended the throne.

The only thing the government need to do is to restore this traditional rule, which was banned only recently after WWII by GHQ.

Dear lord, what is the point? We all know nothing will change. There's a lot to be said about pretending to do something.

Pukey2:

Dear lord, what is the point? We all know nothing will change.

THAT is the point.

Japanese people go many miles in order to PRESERVE. Even when they make inventions or imitate West, they do so so that they can preserve what they want to preserve.

Look at the restoration plan for Kumamoto Castle, which was partially damaged in 2016 earthquake in Kyushu region. The restoration is expected to take 20 years to be completed in 2036. Now, it's not that the whole castle was destroyed. The damage was largely parts of its stone walls. Why then 20 years, you may ask. Well, they want to bring each rock back to where it was positioned before! And there are many thousands of rocks to be restored.

Kumamoto Castle was build in 15th century. But Japanese monarchy goes back to prehistory, before writing system was introduced to Japan, making it the world's oldest. The recent survey shows that only 7% of Japanese people want to end the institution while 74% want to preserve it.

Japan itself is having birth rate crisis obviously the monarchy wouldn't be immune from it

2600 year old dynasty?! The author of this article seems to believe in myths. Yes there is a kenkoku no hi or nation foundation memorial day which took place more than 2600 years ago when the descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu descended to the holy islands of Japan. This has nothing to do with reality. The imperial dynasty started more than 1000 years later.

My own suspicion is that the gents figure that if a woman became Emper[or] [none of this 'ess' stuff], she would do so well and be so popular that no male would ever again be Emperor. And that's NOT an 'irrational' fear for them...the World is getting tired of the male hand on the tiller...

The Princesses are stunning. I know beauty's in the eye of the beholder. belle raffinée

Japan has to abolish it's Imperial Monarchy in order to quell the ongoing "hate" against itself following WW2.

Letting them (It's godlike Imperialistic Monarchy) die out, without a successor would be... the Japanese way of indecisiveness. So all these demands or Female ascendence will, I expect, fall upon deaf ears. Let History take its course, and let bygones be bygones to the History books.

No, learn your history instead. The monarchy is not why Japan went to war but the politicians who used the monarchy as a figurehead. The previous emperor never went to Yasukuni and his son never will either. Keep the monarchy, scrap the warmongering rightwingers

@sd2k - I know my Japanese History, there, have been several Female Monarch's in the past but Read my text again, it's focused upon current times.

The Monarchy /Emperor was considered as a God like figurehead. He renounced that as part of the WW2 surrender. However the fact that the Monarchy here was accepted as being above all others, and god-like doesn't sit well with neighbouring Countries - still. The current Monarchy, is simply a continuation of that belief.

Germany no longer has a Monarchy.... Why does Japan seek to prolong such an institutionalised anarchy as a Monarchy given their history surrounding it ? Far Right Wing bias ?

Let them disappear quietly, it will have not impact upon the Country as a whole, nor its dignity - indeed focusing upon the latter without directing it towards a "Family" could potentially invigorate the Country as a whole.

@sf2k - Blaming the same Politicians that you're very supporting these days ?

I am not a Right Winger... I know my History, and I do listen to the versions of the same History from others within the region. Which one is the right version.... ? I have a view,. but most won't like it.