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#61
11-30-2005, 08:41 PM
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I understand the concept completely! But this is the 21st century and while Japan is still very much a patriarchal society, I think this will be a turning point in the monarchy. There aren't many other options.
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In critical moments even the powerful have need of the weakest. Aesop A pure democracy is a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person. President Madison (1751-1809) 
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#62
12-03-2005, 01:39 AM
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Britain's royal reformers to cite Japan's changes in their campaign
(Kyodo) _ Academics and politicians hope that moves by Japan to allow females to ascend to the imperial throne may spur similar reforms to the British monarchy, which has also been beset by claims of religious and gender discrimination. Most experts in Britain welcomed plans which will see the end of a centuries-old tradition in Japan of allowing only the emperor's male relatives to take the throne. A Japanese government panel recently proposed that the emperor's firstborn child should be given priority, regardless of sex, in the order of succession. Tokyo is expected to implement the reforms next year. Royal reformers in Britain -- who have long complained about the bias in favor of males ascending to the British throne -- have been looking closely at the developments in Tokyo, and expect to use Japan's experience in their fight for change......... http://asia.news.yahoo.com/051202/kyodo/d8e86oqg0.html Time to allow a female emperor A government panel on imperial succession has issued a final proposal to revise the Imperial Household Law. It contains two main points. One is that females and their descendants should be allowed to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne. The second is that the emperor's firstborn child, regardless of gender, should be first in line to the throne. The government is expected to submit a revision bill to the Diet in March 2006. The immediate effect of the revision would be that three-year-old Princess Aiko, the Crown Prince and Princess' only child, will become the nation's first female emperor since female Emperor Go-Sakuramachi, who reigned from 1762 to 1770. She will succeed her father, now first in line to the throne. The panel's proposal could also bring a historic change to the practice of successions based on a male line in the emperor system........ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20051201a1.htm Direct lineage would destabilize throne 12/01/2005 The Asahi Shimbun The Chrysanthemum throne is said to have been passed down over 125 generations, from the time of Emperor Jinmu. If Japan allows women and imperial family offspring of female lineage to become emperor, it would fundamentally change the history of imperial succession. One of the characteristics of suc-cession in the Japanese emperor system is that it gives less precedence to descendants of direct lineage. Most European monarchies hand down the throne via direct lineage. The British royal family, which gives precedence to male heirs, also basically values succession to members of direct lineage. By contrast, in the Japanese emperor system, when there are only women in the immediate family, the baton is passed to a male heir of a related family. Although it is natural for an emperor to want his own child to take over the throne, the system does not allow it. The lineage is maintained not only by the emperor's immediate family but also with the cooperation of other families....... http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-...512010128.html Gov't to decide official title for reigning empress's husband (Kyodo) _ The government plans to include in its draft bill to allow a female imperial family member to ascend the throne what to officially call a reigning empress's husband, which Japan has never had before, government officials said Saturday...... http://asia.news.yahoo.com/051203/kyodo/d8e8mofg0.html Last edited by Warren : 01-01-2006 at 05:51 AM. Reason: merged posts
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#63
12-03-2005, 04:59 AM
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Even thouth the British laws aren't as bad, I think it's a little hypocritical that Britain would support females having equal succession rights in Japan when the women of the British RF don't.
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In critical moments even the powerful have need of the weakest. Aesop A pure democracy is a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person. President Madison (1751-1809)
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#64
12-05-2005, 05:03 PM
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Overwhelming majority back Japanese woman on throne
TOKYO (AFP) - More than three-quarters of Japanese voters support letting a woman reign on the Chrysanthemum Throne but the public is divided on whether to treat royal boys and girls equally. Some 75.3 percent back a female monarch and only 11.8 percent said male heirs exclusively should reign in the world's oldest monarchy, the Kyodo News survey said Monday. No boy has been born to the Japanese royal family since 1965, leading to a succession crisis and putting intense pressure on Crown Princess Masako to produce a male heir...... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051205...l_051205152800
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#65
12-07-2005, 11:07 PM
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Quote:
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#66
12-07-2005, 11:18 PM
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They might as well hammer the title thing out while they work on allowing Aiko to become Empress because that question will eventually be asked. What would you call the Empress' husband? Can't call him Emperor because it has the connotation of being higher than the Empress. Prince? Maybe...
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*~* In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock. *~* *~* Judge not those who try and fail. Judge those who fail to try. *~* Sweden's Picture of the Month Represenative
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#68
12-14-2005, 11:50 PM
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Japanese split over first-born royal heir proposal
TOKYO: A big majority of Japanese back proposals to let women ascend the throne, but the public is divided over whether a first-born female should succeed even if she has a younger brother, surveys published on Wednesday showed. That split could complicate efforts to enact legal changes next year that would clear the way for 4-year-old Princess Aiko eventually to become Japan's first reigning empress in centuries. Advisers to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi last month recommended that women and their children be given equal rights to inherit the throne, urging a break with ancient tradition to avoid a looming succession crisis. The panel also recommended that the first-born child -- whether girl or boy -- should become heir...... http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=12311
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#70
12-31-2005, 10:52 PM
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Imperial Family/ Uncharted terrain:Those who do not want females or their descendants to become emperor feel stymied.
This is the first in a series on issues and topics facing the imperial family. Kentaro Sano, a Kochi University assistant professor, knows from experience the uphill battle facing opponents of government moves to allow females and their descendants to ascend the Chrysanthemum throne. Students of Sano's intercultural studies class once decided to hold a debate over the question: Should Japan be ready to embrace a female emperor? The debate never got off the ground. "Nobody wanted to take on the role of arguing against the idea of females and their descendants ascending," said Sano, who uses debate as an educational tool. "Whenever somebody tried to present an argument to oppose a female emperor by citing such reasons as tradition and capability, it got rejected for being too demeaning to women." That was four years ago. But today, the same sentiments that felled the debate are plaguing scholars, lawmakers and others trying to build momentum to block Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plans to submit a bill to revise the Imperial House Law in the regular Diet session scheduled to start in January. If the Diet approves the proposed revisions, 4-year-old Princess Aiko, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, will be eligible to become Japan's first female emperor since the 18th century. There have been eight female emperors in the nation's history, but they never gave birth to heirs, so the throne always returned to an unbroken male line. The bill will be based on recommendations by Koizumi's advisory panel on imperial succession, which proposed in November that women and their descendants be allowed to become emperor, breaking a male-lineage tradition said to date back to mythical times. The panel was set up because no boy has been born into the imperial family in 40 years. Improved image of Japan?.................. http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-...512310227.html
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#71
01-01-2006, 12:00 AM
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Quote:
__________________
Take a peek @ the Royal Forum Rules, and FAQ.
"Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed." - Corita Kent Live, Highlander. Grow stronger. Fight another day. Highlander: The Series
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#72
01-02-2006, 06:59 AM
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Bill for authorizing female monarchs to be presented in March
The Japanese government will present an amendment to the Imperial House Law to the Diet in early March that would authorize females and their descendants to ascend the throne, according to informed sources. The revision comes after a Nov. 24 proposal by an advisory panel and would cause a reshuffle of the line of succession. Crown Prince Naruhito, 45, Emperor Akihito's first son, remains the heir to the throne. But the revised law would change the second in line to 4-year-old Princess Aiko, the crown prince's only child, from Prince Akishino, the crown prince's 40-year-old brother, who would be the third in line. The bill will be presented to a regular Diet session for deliberation after the state budget for fiscal 2006 clears the Diet, the sources said. It will carry clauses saying the emperor's firstborn child, regardless of sex, should be next in line to the throne -- clauses designed to prevent a succession crisis.............. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstS...storyid=222314 The X versus Y chromosome According to a recent survey of Japanese voters, 73% support the idea of female members of the imperial family ascending to the throne. Perhaps influenced by this support, a government panel recommended that the Imperial Household Law of 1947 be revised, which would allow Princess Aiko, now 4, to ascend to the throne. Eight other females have reigned as empresses in Japan's history but they did not produce any heirs, so their role was strictly as a caretaker — a temporary solution keeping the throne safely occupied until a male heir with the royal Y chromosome could be enthroned. This recommendation by the panel should not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed this royal debate. What is a surprise, is the order of succession that the panel is also recommending. They have stated that the firstborn child of the empress, regardless of gender, should follow in succession. It is interesting to note, that as with everything in life, there are actually laws of succession. This would change Japan's law from "Salic Law," which entirely excludes females from the hereditary succession, to "Cognatic Primogeniture," in which the right of succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign, regardless of gender. To try and put this into modern perspective, countries such as Italy, Bulgaria and France still adhere to "Salic Law," while only Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden practice "Cognatic Primogeniture.".................... http://www.crisscross.com/jp/comment/882 Old vs. new clash over Japanese women As Japanese lawmakers prepare to debate later this month on whether or not to allow a woman to succeed the imperial throne, it is clear the issue goes far beyond simply allowing the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife, Masako, to be empress. In fact, whether or not the Diet approves Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's push for a change in the imperial house law, which dictates only male heirs can ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne, might well have longer-term consequences for how women are regarded in Japan. But it's not just a legal battle that looms ahead. It is also a change in the mind-set of both men and women in the country that has only changed gradually and often begrudgingly over the past two decades. Women and men are equal under Japanese law, and gender discrimination is illegal. Nevertheless, it is clear women have not played as prominent a role in Japan's economy or politics as they have elsewhere. For instance, only 11 percent of corporate management positions in the country were held by women in 2004, and while that was an improvement from 2001 when the rate was 8.3 percent, it still falls far short compared to other parts of the world. Meanwhile, fewer than one-third of mothers return to work after having children, with the majority returning to positions that are far lower than ones they previously held........................ http://www.upi.com/InternationalInte...1-043733-5255r Japanese Bill Paves a Princess' Path to Power A woman hasn't ascended to the Japanese throne since 1770, but a new bill could allow one to inherit the world's oldest monarchy. The prospect of an empress has riled the country's old guard and divided the imperial family. In a succession drama that is gripping Japan, 4-year-old Princess Aiko may become the country's first reigning empress since the 18th century, when Empress Go-Sakuramachi reigned from 1762 to 1770 in one of the rare interruptions in the male rule of the world's oldest monarchy. Eight women have ascended Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne during its 2,000-year history. Japan had several female monarchs between the sixth and 18th centuries, but in each case succession subsequently reverted to the male line because the female rulers remained childless and the reign reverted to an unbroken line of males. The preference for male rulers was enshrined in a 1947 law that forbids women to ascend the throne and reserves it for men who have emperors on their father's side. The discussion about the monarchy holds a special place in political debates in Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration of 1868, supporters as well as opponents to the throne have used it to define their respective positions and that of the nation. After Japan's defeat in 1945, the American occupation authorities compelled Japan to re-examine the relationship between the monarchy and the nation by imposing a constitution that stripped the emperor of his power and repositioned the institution as a symbol of national unity. But the monarchy in Japan remains significant as a political and cultural institution........................ http://www.womensenews.org/article.c...ontext/archive Last edited by mandyy : 01-14-2006 at 05:33 AM.
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#73
01-17-2006, 03:34 AM
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DPJ leader backs female monarchs, tolerates female-line succession
Opposition leader Seiji Maehara said Sunday he supports the idea of allowing females and their descendants to ascend Japan's imperial throne. During his appearance on a TV Asahi news program, the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan also said he will accept enabling the child of a female monarch to reign, unless the public accepts a concubine system for emperors. "I am for female emperors...I also have no choice but to allow emperors of female lineage if the public says no to concubines for the emperor system," Maehara said............... http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/jan/1286510.htm POLITICS-JAPAN: Making Way for Empresses Suvendrini Kakuchi TOKYO, Jan 19 (IPS) Chieko Akaishi, a feminist, has mixed feelings about moves to amend the imperial succession law to allow princesses to ascend Japan's revered Chrysanthemum Throne. ''A female succession to lead Japan's imperial family is exciting because it signals a dramatic breakthrough in the oldest of Japan's traditions. At the same time, it is hard to rejoice too much because, after all, the Japanese monarchy symbolises a feudal system that upholds a top-down system and not a modern democracy,'' says Akaishi. Indeed, the Japanese imperial family, promoted as the oldest in the world, is strictly controlled by the imperial Agency that orchestrates the daily schedules, appearance in public, speeches and finances of members. Feminists believe that even with a female on the throne there will be no real change given that the monarchy is bound by elaborate rituals and wields no real political power. Still, according to Mitsuko Yamaguchi, head of the Yamaguchi Memorial Association, a leading women's rights organization, the ascendancy of a female would break the sacred male hierarchy custom that has been upheld for more than 2000 years, and is thus a path breaking symbol of change................. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=31826 Priests oppose allowing women on the throne By REIJI YOSHIDA Staff writer About 700 representatives of the country's 80,000 Shinto shrines came together Thursday to oppose a government plan to allow women and their descendants to ascend the Imperial throne. In a meeting held to defend what they believe is the dignity of the Imperial family, the representatives adopted a resolution opposing a government-sponsored bill scheduled to be submitted to the next ordinary session of the Diet starting Friday. The content of the bill, which is still under discussion, would likely allow women and their descendants to ascend to the throne. After the meeting in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, the representatives met lawmakers and presented them with petition asking them not to support the bill........................ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20060120a7.htm Last edited by Warren : 01-23-2006 at 08:42 AM. Reason: merge
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#74
01-19-2006, 09:08 PM
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Okay, so they claim to be descendants of the Sun GODDESS
Why is it so hard for some members of the Imperial family to accept a reigning Empress? I mean, if they claim to be descendants of the Sun Goddess then the line started with a female. Plus they had reigning Empresses before.
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#75
01-19-2006, 11:12 PM
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Experts who rejects female emperors usually say that what's special about the Imperial Family is the unbroken male imperial bloodline which has survived for more than 2000 years. Currently the Japanese Imperial Family is the oldest in the world.
Articles say that it's okay to permit Princess Aiko to ascend as the female Emperor because she has Emperors on her father's side. But there would be a problem for her children to ascend to the throne because this would break the purity of the imperial blood linage because her children doesn't have any Emperors on her father's side unless Princess Aiko marries someone who is from aristocratic background (then he would have Emperors from his father's side). This would then solve the problem, but potential partners of this sort would decrease by the years (I think). This could then be a potential problem in the future. The past female Emperors only ascended the throne temporary and they would always pass the throne back to the male imperial line. They wouldn't pass the throne to their children (I think they didn't have any children....maybe I'm wrong). Below are the quotes from the article "POLITICS-JAPAN: Making Way for Empresses" by Suvendrini Kakuchi ...........Experts contend the bill, if passed, will make history in Japan where only eight females monarchs have ascended the throne, and then they have been either widows or single and stepped down as soon as a male heir was ready. Importantly, none of the female monarchs had children who assumed the throne and posed no threat to the principle of male succession......... http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=31826 Last edited by Warren : 01-23-2006 at 08:40 AM.
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#76
01-20-2006, 12:58 AM
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Japanese parliament to debate reforms amid scandals
TOKYO - Japan's parliament was to reopen Friday with an agenda that includes allowing women to sit on the throne, but the session comes amid a series of intensifying scandals that have shaken the country. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was due to address the opening of the 150-day session, which comes less than nine months before the popular leader is due to retire. Ruling-party lawmakers have said they will debate a bill in the session to change three centuries of tradition and let a woman ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne. No boys have been born to the imperial family since 1965, putting intense pressure on Crown Princess Masako, whose one child is four-year-old Princess Aiko, to produce a male heir. Proposed changes to succession laws enjoy overwhelming public support but have been vocally opposed by a number of traditionalists............... http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...189102/1/.html Japan May Allow Women to Ascend Throne TOKYO - The Japanese government will submit a bill that would allow women to ascend Japan's imperial throne, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told Parliament on Friday. "In order that the imperial throne be continued into the future in a stable manner, the government will submit a bill to reform the Imperial Household Law," the premier said in a speech at the opening session of Parliament.............. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060120/...l_succession_1 Japanese PM takes up domestic reform for last year in office .................He also promised to introduce during the session a bill to allow women to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne for the first time in three centuries. No boys have been born to the imperial family since 1965, putting the royal tradition of male-only succession in jeopardy. Crown Princess Masako, whose only child is four-year-old Princess Aiko, has come under intense pressure to produce a male heir and makes few public appearances due to stress. Proposed changes to succession laws enjoy strong public support and Koizumi has an overwhelming parliamentary majority. However, a number of traditionalists have voiced strong opposition to the proposals................. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060120...t_060120081533 Last edited by mandyy : 01-20-2006 at 03:38 AM.
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#77
01-20-2006, 11:21 AM
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Japan's conservatives rally against mother-line succession
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...190126/1/.html TOKYO : One hundred Japanese lawmakers and their representatives have have rallied to oppose moves to allow succession through the female line for the first time in the history of the world's oldest monarchy. No boys have been born to the imperial family since 1965, spelling crisis for the tradition of male-only succession, which has lasted more than 2,600 years according to legend. The conservative politicians are upset that a bill before parliament to allow a woman to take the throne would permanently change succession rules to put the first child of a reigning emperor or empress in line to the throne...................... JAPANESE LEADER PAVES THE WAY FOR 'EMPRESS AIKO' http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty.../princessaiko/ Japan's little princess Aiko looks all but certain to one day become Empress of her homeland after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced plans to tackle the issue of gender-specific accession in the Imperial Household. The politician extinguished any remaining doubt that his government would act to amend with the constitution, which currently prevents female heirs from taking the throne, when he told parliament he would present a reform bill later this year. (...) The prime minister did not give any specific details on what the forthcoming bill would contain, but he did say it would be in line with the conclusions of a government panel which last year recommended first born children of either sex be allowed to accede. In his annual keynote speech to the Japanese parliament, he said the proposal would be designed "in order that the Imperial throne be continued into the future in a stable manner". Female emperor moving step closer http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapc...ion=cnn_latest Japan Eyes Return Of Women To Throne http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...n1224174.shtml Japan's Male Crisis May Give The 'Weaker Sex' the Throne Jan. 23, 2006— Faced with no male heirs, Japan's boy-only emperor club may have to crack its doors and let women in. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has pledged to submit a bill to change the constitution and let female heirs ascend to the imperial throne. But he gave no specific date for the bill nor said exactly how it would be written. That means 4-year-old Princess Aiko has a chance of becoming an empress, since she's the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito. She's got some time to prepare, since her father has first dibs on the throne.................... http://abcnews.go.com/International/...C-RSSFeeds0312 LDP's Hosoda concerned about imperial succession rule revision (Kyodo) _ Hiroyuki Hosoda, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Diet Affairs Committee, expressed concern Tuesday over whether the government can smoothly submit a bill to allow females and their descendants to ascend Japan's imperial throne as planned during the ongoing regular Diet session........Hosoda said such arguments were "largely affected" by recent remarks made by Prince Tomohito of Mikasa..................... http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060124/kyodo/d8fb3tfo8.html Last edited by Warren : 01-26-2006 at 02:14 AM. Reason: merge
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#78
01-27-2006, 05:42 AM
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Japan PM faces struggle on law for female monarch
TOKYO (Reuters) - Opposition among conservative Japanese lawmakers to letting women inherit the throne could make it tough for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to enact the necessary legal changes before he steps down later this year. Advisers to the prime minister recommended in November that women be given equal rights to inherit the throne, urging a break with ancient tradition to avoid a looming succession crisis. No boys have been born into the imperial family in four decades, forcing Japan to consider options for preserving the royal line. But while opinion polls have shown a majority of the public support the idea of women ascending the throne, conservative lawmakers keen to preserve a male-only imperial line they say stretches back more than 2,000 years remain strongly opposed.......................... http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle....s/uk/worldNews
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#79
02-01-2006, 04:08 AM
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