Succession Issues

[Emily]

Mandyy -- thanks for the post -- but, "ugh"!

[CrownPrinceLorenzo]

Originally Posted by Emily

Mandyy -- thanks for the post -- but, "ugh"!

I think "ugh" is an understatement at this point :(

[Emily]

Originally Posted by corazon

so, if the baby is boy aiko never will be empress, but if the baby is girl the reform continue.

I think that would be one possibility among others. There seems to be such resistance to having an Empress that I'm not quite sure what would happen.

And, yes, Crownprincelorenzo, I'm trying to be polite!

[monica17]

Even if Princess Kiko has a healthy son who can succeed his uncle and father, the "problem" will not go away. I'd say it will just put on the shelf for a number of years. The "female only offspring" scenario may occur again. Then what? Another succession crisis?

I really hope this law gets changed.

[Toledo]

Everybody is circling the Crown Princes and their daugther like hungry sharks! Even their own blood relatives like Mr. Tsuneyasu Takeda. Reminds me of that old say "heavy is the crown of the one who wears it"

[janos614]

I'm sorry if this question has been asked, but will Aiko undergo empress training anyway, or would that be a waste of time and resources?

[CrownPrinceLorenzo]

Aiko will not go under Empress training unless she is allowed to rule. The Prime Minister was rushing the change because she is now at the age where future Emperors are trained.

[mandyy]

LDP starts study panel on imperial succession issue
(Kyodo) _ A panel of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party held its first meeting on the imperial succession issue Thursday, with many participants questioning a government panel's proposal to revise a law to allow females and their descendants to ascend Japan's imperial throne.
The study panel met for the first time following news earlier in the month that Princess Kiko, the wife of Emperor Akihito's younger son Prince Akishino, is pregnant, which has raised the possibility of the imperial family having its first male heir since 1965..................................
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060223/kyodo/d8fuqq0g4.html

Support for female emperors declines
Although 66 percent of voters would accept legal changes to allow female emperors, 60 percent also thought the government acted appropriately by delaying legislation for such a change, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed. The telephone poll, in which 1,979 randomly selected voters from around the country gave valid answers over the weekend, also showed that 60 percent accepted the idea of children of female emperors ascending the Chrysanthemum throne........................
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-...602220196.html

[mandyy]

64% support child of female monarch to reign, down 7.8 points
The percentage of Japanese people who support allowing a child of a female monarch to ascend the imperial throne for the first time in Japanese history fell 7.8 percentage points from the previous survey in December to 64 percent, following news that Princess Kiko, the wife of Emperor Akihito's second son, is pregnant, a Kyodo News survey showed Monday.
On the order of succession, 43.6 percent said that males should be given priority over females, up 1.4 points, exceeding the 38.9 percent who said the emperor's firstborn child should be given priority regardless of gender, down 4.4 points................................
http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstS...storyid=232482

[CrownPrinceLorenzo]

Interesting.

More male respondents are in favor of female monarchs than female respondents... That is odd...

[mandyy]

LEAD: 10,000 people rally to preserve male-line imperial succession
Some 10,000 people, including 86 lawmakers and academics, staged a rally Tuesday to oppose a proposal to allow women and their descendants to ascend to Japan's imperial throne, citing the importance of preserving the tradition of the world's oldest hereditary monarchy.
"The government has shelved submitting the proposal to the current Diet session, but its basic stance hasn't changed...We need to form a thoughtful and sound public opinion toward supporting the male-line succession," Toru Miyoshi, former chief justice, said at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. Among lawmakers participating in the rally was conservative House of Representatives member Takeo Hiranuma............................
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060307/kyodo/d8g6nabo1.html

Lawmakers rally against government plan to allow women on Imperial Throne
Thousands of people, including dozens of conservative lawmakers, gathered Tuesday at the Budokan in Tokyo to protest a government proposal to allow women to ascend the Imperial Throne, saying no changes should be made to the world's oldest monarchy.
More than 70 lawmakers and aides, led by former Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma, urged about 10,000 people at the Budokan to help rally opposition to the government move to allow reigning Empresses to avert an Imperial succession crisis. The 1947 Imperial House Law only allows men on the throne.
Hiranuma said the Imperial Family "is the treasure of the Japanese race" and its male-only tradition must be preserved.....................
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/nation...na036000c.html

Below from AP
The file image of Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko is shown on a screen as people wait for the start of a rally organized by conservative lawmakers and academics to protest a government proposal to allow women to ascend Japan's imperial throne at the Budokan martial arts arena in Tokyo Tuesday, March 7, 2006. More than 70 lawmakers and their aides urged 10,000 people to help rally opposition to the government move to allow reigning empresses to avert an imperial succession crisis, saying no changes should be made to the world's oldest monarchy.

[CrownPrinceLorenzo]

Can you say "ugh"?

[Margrethe II]

May Aiko one day be Japan's rightful & Imperial sovereign.

"MII"

[CrownPrinceLorenzo]

And may the eight reigning Empresses before her watch over her.

[monica17]

"UGH" is the right expression for this.

10,000 people don't sound a lot.... I'm not sure whether the Japanese people attend rallies as a rule, but Metro Tokyo's population is over 12 million! Maybe 10,000 is quite a force, if you consider the influence and clout of these people.

I thought things have been "quiet" there, with the announcement of Princess Kiko's pregnancy.

[Eliza]

I saw the news coverage of the rally....one thing strike me from the start - that those people at the rally are all old and the speakers equally old. Most of them men too.

This shows you something huh? Even though i respect the conversative cultures and ideas of Japan, I feel that it's time they bring themselves up to speed with today's culture.

[mandyy]

Japan's Cabinet postpones decision on legislation to let women ascend imperial throne
TOKYO (AP) - Japan's Cabinet has decided to put off a decision on changes to a law that would allow a woman on the imperial throne, the government spokesman said Friday...................
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...40&sec=apworld

[mandyy]

To Japanese Nationalists, Only the Y Chromosome Counts
IT was one of the biggest rallies in support of Japan's imperial system since the end of World War II: Some 10,300 men and women gathered at the Budokan martial arts arena to protest a proposal that would let women become empresses and pass along title to the Chrysanthemum Throne. At the end, the throng stood and raised their arms in unison while shouting, "Long live the emperor!"
What could possibly stir so much passion about monarchy in the 21st century?.....................
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/12/we...=1&oref=slogin

The site includes a audio slideshow
Below are photos from the slideshow provided by the New York Times

[monica17]

Thank you, mandyy, for the link!

This makes my blood boil ......

[Charlotte1]

To put things somewhat in perspective, 10,300 people in Tokyo is not a lot of people. During the New Year observances when people visit shrines to hope for a good year. The Meiji Shrine in Tokyo has 1,000,000 people visit in one day! ( It's a huge shrine, I think the biggest in Tokyo) And for New Year people visit shrines either Jan 1st, 2nd or 3rd, so huge numbers of different people go on different days. These 10,300 people represent the extreme conservative fringe of Japanese society. Not a lot in a city of 12 million people.