Japan Legislature Advances Plan to Adopt Scores of Male Royals to Avert Succession Crisis
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 14
Japan Legislature Advances Plan to Adopt Scores of Male Royals to Avert Succession Crisis
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 14
Summary
Japan’s legislature moved a proposal forward this week to let the imperial family adopt scores of distant male relatives, aiming to replenish a shrinking royal roster.
The plan targets a succession squeeze because only men can inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne under Japan’s male-only imperial line.
Critics say the proposal sidesteps a simpler fix—allowing women to reign—and lawmakers opposing it say public support for a female emperor is broad.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first woman premier, backs preserving the male-only lineage, underscoring how the debate pits tradition against reform in the world’s oldest monarchy.