Japan relaxes royal succession rules - but ban on female emperors remain
Japan has approved a bill to relax succession rules, allowing the adoption of male relatives and permitting princesses to keep their titles after marrying commoners. However, the law maintains the ban on female emperors, keeping Princess Aiko ineligible for the throne.
Why it matters
This legislative move attempts to prevent the extinction of the imperial line while simultaneously sparking debate over gender equality in the Japanese monarchy.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Princess Aiko, the only child of the current emperor, is still not eligible to succeed the throne
The Japanese parliament has approved a bill to relax imperial succession rules, amid concerns over the dwindling size of the imperial family.
The bill, passed by the upper house on Friday, allows the imperial family to adopt distant male relatives over the age of 15 and lets women keep their royal status after marrying outside the family.
But it does not change the law barring women from ascending the throne despite wide public support for a female emperor, meaning Princess Aiko, the only child of the current emperor, is still not eligible to succeed the throne.
The bill cleared the lower house last week, and will move through the final legal procedures before the changes take effect.
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