Al_bina
Majesty
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It is great that the Japanese government has decided to take steps to revise the rules to address the current and future issue around the succession laws.
If the emperor is in favour of the changes, as is said here, it is not very probable that he is unhappy about the government´s plans to realize them, is it? That means either the first article is right. Or the second. But not both, obviously.The Emperor himself is reported to be in favor of changes that would at least allow for princesses to retain their Imperial status after marriage. However, he cannot openly advocate anything without violating the constitutional prohibition on his involvement in government.
If you believe like me that the emperor approves of the upcoming changes, that would mean the conjecture that Prince Akishino remarks indicated that "imperial family members" wished "to complain" because they had not been asked to comment would be clearly wrong. Except if you substitute "imperial family members" by "Prince Akishino". Maybe the prince thought that he should have been asked for his personal opinion and felt offended that this had not been the case."The Emperor is not supposed to express his opinions in public forums, which also should be applied for other members of the Imperial family," Urabe said, citing two stipulations of the Constitution that the Emperor's position derives from the will of the people, and that he shall not have powers related to government. Nonetheless, Urabe backed an idea that members of the Imperial family could express their opinions mainly through the Imperial Household Agency to help facilitate discussions on the Imperial family system. Urabe's opinion has been received positively by Itsuo Sonobe, an expert on the system and former Supreme Court justice, who described the Imperial House Law as "a family law for the Imperial family in its nature." "I don't think it would be a problem for the government and the Diet to indirectly seek opinions [from members of the Imperial family]," he said.
Bloomberg.comAkihito’s grandson Hisahito in 2006 became the first male born into the family in more than four decades, increasing the number of potential heirs to three. “By the time he assumes the throne, he will be the imperial family,” Colin Jones, a law professor at Doshisha University in Kyoto, said of the 5-year-old prince. “You’re looking at a future where the imperial family consists of a single nuclear family. That’s problematic in that, if he doesn’t have a son, then what do you do?”
Crown Prince Naruhito, 51, will serve as regent during his father’s surgery and convalescence. Naruhito, who has one daughter, is next in line to the throne, followed by his 46- year-old brother, Prince Akishino, and nephew Hisahito. […] The matter is “of great priority in assuring the stability of the activities of the imperial family,” Noda said at a press conference. “We are currently considering how we should move forward.” He has made no mention of altering the law to allow women to ascend the throne. […]
Without reforms, there may not be a backup plan if Hisahito doesn’t have a son or is incapacitated. While the emperor’s role is mostly symbolic, Japan’s constitution requires him to perform tasks including appointing the prime minister and promulgating laws passed by the Diet. “Monarchies have extended families just so that there’s a source of spares,” Doshisha’s Jones said. “Over time there will be no other members of the imperial family to act as proxies.” […]
Lawmakers will need to resolve the succession issue soon, since it may be too late to do so by the time Hisahito becomes emperor, Jones said. “They can’t just suddenly conjure up new imperials,” he said. “They’ve got to do something now.”
That list will be short... To answer your question, just take a look at the Genealogy of the Imperial Family.That sounds serious!
A reform seems somewhat overdue.
How many adults are there at present in the Imperial Family, who can represent the Emperor and Japan? That is adults who are both reasonably young and in good health? I.e. between 20 and 70?
No need to make a list, just an estimate will do.
Not really. I do suspect that there WERE politicians of the ultraright who secretly were much in favour of concubines. But the only guy who was actually stupid enough to explicitly say so was the aforementioned Prince Tomohito of Mikasa. In a letter, he wrote that in former times there had been the institution of concubinage to solve succession problems and that he was “all for it” but that it would be a bit difficult, considering the public opinion. (See this Telegraph article, for example.) Afterwards he maintained that his statement had never been meant to get public and that it had been but a joke.Didn't some politicians suggest using concubines, at least as far as Naruhito is concerned?
I thought there was some mention of this recently.
That is theoretically possible, even under the present law. The Imperial Household Law says:Three then. And the Emperor himself is old and his health isn't too good.
That's critically few. It only takes a tragedy and a scandal - and then there were none...
In that situation, wouldn't it be acceptable that a woman stepped in from time to time? Say in case Naruhito is ill and Akishino is away on an official visit.
They do after all have plenty of female cousins, who are still Princesses.
Is it impossible to imagine that say Princess Akiko stepped in and everyone quietly overlooked the protocol and traditions?
(Kotaishi is the crown prince if he is the son of the emperor, Kotaison is the imperial grandson who is heir apparent. Shinnô are male descendants of an emperor in the male line in the first or second generation, ô all other male descendants of an emperor in the male line. Naishinnô are female descendants of an emperor in the male line in the first or second generation, nyoô all other female descendants of an emperor in the male line.)Article 16. In case the Emperor is a minor a Regency shall be instituted. In case the Emperor is affected with a serious disease, mentally or physically, or there is a serious hindrance and unable to perform his acts in matters of state, a Regency shall be instituted by decision of the Imperial Household Council.
Article 17. The Regency shall be assumed by a member of the Imperial Family of age according to the following order:
1.[FONT=Arial,Helvetica] The Kotaishi or Kotaison
2. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]A shinnô or an ô
3. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]The Empress
4. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]The Empress Dowager[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]5. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]The Grand Empress Dowager[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]6. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]A naishinnô or a nyoô[/FONT]
In the case of No. 2 in the preceding paragraph the order of succession to the Throne shall apply, and in the case of No. 6 in the same paragraph, the order of succession to the Throne shall apply mutatus mutandis.
The Yomiuri ShimbunWe would like to pray for the Emperor's recovery. In consideration of the Emperor's health and advanced age of 78, we hope the Imperial Household Agency will reduce the burden of his official duties in the future. [...] We hope the Emperor, who is also fighting against cancer, does not strain himself and concentrates on his postoperative treatment and recuperation. [...]
When concerns arise over the Emperor's health and when he needs to recuperate in the future, flexible responses may be necessary, such as having the crown prince temporarily assume the Emperor's constitutional functions and act on his behalf, or have other Imperial family members attend events to speak on behalf of the Emperor.
The Emperor is worried about the future of the Imperial family.
Nine of the 22 members of the Imperial family are aged 30 or younger. All nine, except for Prince Hisahito, are unmarried women or girls. When these females get married, they will leave the Imperial family. As a result, the number of Imperial family members will steadily decline. In the near future, serious concerns will arise over the stability of Imperial Household activities.
The government will soon start hearing the opinions of experts on the possible establishment of Imperial family branches led by female members, and a possible revision to the Imperial House Law that will enable female members of the Imperial family to remain in the family after marriage. [...] We hope these discussions will give the Emperor and the people peace of mind.
Japan Times Editorial Feb. 10, 2012The government this month starts hearing opinions from knowledgeable people on the idea of allowing female members of the Imperial Family to remain in the family even if they marry commoners and to become the heads of branches within the family. Behind the move is a fear that as long as the current Imperial Household Law remains as it is, the number of Imperial Family members will dwindle as time goes on. [...]
But if male members of the Imperial Family become very few, it will become difficult to keep the Imperial line. The Imperial Household Law stipulates that an emperor must be a son of the male Imperial line. Given the current situation of the Imperial Family, making a woman Imperial Family member serve as an emperor may become unavoidable. [...]
In the planned hearings, the main points will be whether the female heads of branches in the Imperial Family should be limited to daughters or granddaughters of the emperor and whether male commoners who marry female Imperial Family members and their children should be counted as members of the Imperial Family. The topic of succession to the Imperial throne will be avoided. A suspicion will persist that the government is shying away from discussing a possible situation in which there will be no males to succeed to the throne.
If this is not discussed, people's concerns about the Imperial Family will not be addressed, thus making it a shaky institution.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Dec. 1 said the government should study whether princesses should be allowed to keep their status after marriage and called for a national debate.
The matter is “of great priority in assuring the stability of the activities of the imperial family,” Noda told reporters. “We are currently considering how we should move forward.”
He has made no mention of altering the law to allow women to ascend the throne.
Yes, exactly. At present they seem to be only discussing the amendment of Articles 12 and 15 of the The Imperial Household Law.If I understand correctly, the Prime Minister wants to allow females retaining their place in the Royal House upon marriage, but not allowing females to succeed? In other words, should the changes be approved Princess Aiko would remain a Princess after her marriage (unlike Sayako Kuroda), but will not be able to succeed her father.
Article 12 says:Articles 15 says:In case a female of the Imperial Family marries a person other than the Emperor or a member of the Imperial Family, she shall lose the status of Imperial Family member.If they change Article 12, imperial princesses will be able to retain their status after marriage, and if they change Article 15, their husbands may become imperial princes. But that does not mean that they would automatically get succession rights as long as Article 1 is not amended that says:Any person outside the Imperial Family and his or her descendants shall not become a member thereof except in the cases where a female becomes Empress or marries a member of the Imperial Family.[...]The Imperial Throne of Japan shall be succeeded to by male descendants in the male line of Imperial Ancestors.
What is the saying? "Every great journey begins with a single step."
I absolutely agree, especially as under the current law, Hisahito is the only eligible heir in his generation. If he should not father any children, there would not be any optionsIndeed. With only three possible heirs according to the current law, every step is good.
The matter of female monarchs had been discussed alot of times at several previous pages of this thread.... if females are allowed to retain their status upon marriage, then surely it's just a matter of time till they are also allowed to succeed to the Throne, at least in absence of direct male heirs (male primogeniture)? ...
Male primogeniture in the case of Japan´s monarchy would mean that Princess Aiko would follow her father, Crown Prince Naruhito, as she has no brothers. While there are certainly many Japanese who would welcome this, one has to be aware that this might lead to fierce debates as, from the point of view of some people, Aiko´s cousin, Prince Hisahito, was "born to be emperor", so to speak. I´ll try to show what I mean.It's really interesting to read about the proposed changes; if females are allowed to retain their status upon marriage, then surely it's just a matter of time till they are also allowed to succeed to the Throne, at least in absence of direct male heirs (male primogeniture)?
So, you can be sure that any attempt to change the succession law to male primogeniture would lead to a very controversial and heated debate. The Japanese DPJ government - while probably rather in favour of such an amendment (it actually was one of their promises I think for the 2005 election to change the law and let Aiko follow her father) - shies away from such a conflict. I suppose they think that they would not have to gain anything by it, but much to lose. Political realists, you know...A famous example of Abe's riding to Koizumi's rescue occurred in the immediate aftermath of the announcement of Princess Kiko’s pregnancy. The Diet was set to debate the proposal of opening up the throne to direct primogeniture, creating the possibility of Princess Aiko becoming a reigning empress. At the announcement of Kiko-sama's pregnancy, Abe remarked to Koizumi in a matter-of-fact way that the discussion and the legislation were now moot. Koizumi, to his eternal credit, could not grasp Abe's point. He asked Abe why the effort to revise of the imperial house law could not proceed. Abe, his brain probably bursting from incredulity, managed to explain that if the revision passed, and Kiko-sama gave birth to a boy, then many persons would scream that the Diet had stolen the throne from Kiko's son. [my bold]
... So, you can be sure that any attempt to change the succession law to male primogeniture would lead to a very controversial and heated debate. The Japanese DPJ government - while probably rather in favour of such an amendment (it actually was one of their promises I think for the 2005 election to change the law and let Aiko follow her father) - shies away from such a conflict. I suppose they think that they would not have to gain anything by it, but much to lose. Political realists, you know...
The "problem" with the Japanese succession is that the same dynasty has been emperors for some two thousand years. No other monarchy in the world comes close to that. Even in the case of the few female regents of Japan, they weren't succeeded by their children (Did either of them even have children?), but by male relatives, who belonged to the right dynasty. So even if it would be possible for Aiko to become an empress regent, her children wouldn't be able to succeed her, unless their father belongs to the imperial dynasty.
Like I've mentioned before, Artemisia, this matter had been discussed dozens of times in this thread.Japan had ten Empresses Regnant. ...
Like I've mentioned before, Artemisia, this matter had been discussed dozens of times in this thread.
All the Empresses you've mentioned had never passed the throne to their own children, and were succeeded by their closest male relatives (brothers/nephews) as soon, as the male heirs come to age. The Empresses were just throne keepers, actually.