Furienna
Serene Highness
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Yeah, it doesn't look good, since Hisahito is the only boy in his generation.
October 05, 2012(Mainichi Japan)The Japanese government proposed on Friday enabling female members of the imperial family to establish their own imperial branches after marriage to commoners, amid concern over the falling number of royal household members and the heavy burden on the emperor. The establishment of female imperial branches "should be considered" only for daughters and granddaughters of the emperor, the government proposal says. [...]
The proposal, which clarifies points to be discussed concerning the status of female imperial family members, also lists both ideas to give and not to give imperial status to the husband and children of a princess who establishes her own imperial branch. It says the idea of retaining the title of princess after marriage to allow them to engage in imperial activities "would be difficult to implement" in light of Japan's Constitution that stipulates equality under the law.
The proposal mentions an idea to give such female imperial family members status as national public servants to remain involved in royal activities. In creating a new system, the proposal says the government would make sure that opinions of the female imperial family members will be reflected and that the system would not be an obstacle for their marriage. The government will take public comments on the proposal over a period of about two months with an aim to map out a draft amendment to the Imperial Household Law and submit it to the ordinary Diet session next year, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said. [...]
The proposal drew positive responses from the Imperial Household Agency. An agency official said it was "significant" the government listed the points of discussion as a way to deal with the decreasing number of imperial members. Another official expressed hope that discussions over the matter "would move forward" after the government gathers opinions from the public. [...]
Yasuhiro Okudaira, an honorary professor at the University of Tokyo, said discussion should take place about the expected roles of the emperor and the imperial family in Japanese society, even before whether to create imperial branches is discussed.
The Japan Times, Friday, Oct. 5, 2012The government proposed on Friday enabling female members of the Imperial family to establish their own Imperial branches after marriage to commoners, amid concern over the falling number of royal household members. [...]
Among the 21 Imperial family members under Emperor Akihito are eight unmarried females, including Princess Aiko, 10, the daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, and Prince Akishino's two daughters, Princess Mako, 20, and Princess Kako, 17. The three princesses would be subject to the new system if it is created. [...]
The matter has come into focus due to concern the Imperial family may not be able to maintain its activities in a stable manner given the large number of female members compared with male members.
The Japan Daily Press, October 5, 2012Some parts of Japanese law might finally be catching up to the 21st century. The Japanese government is proposing an amendment to a law that will allow female members of the royal family to retain their imperial status after marriage to a commoner. The changes reflect the growing concerns over problems with the number of males in the royal household.
The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 6, 2012The government has released a summary review of its proposal for future Imperial family systems, based on experts' opinions. It states that consideration should be given to the idea of enabling female members to retain their Imperial status after marriage to commoners and to create their own Imperial branches.
We consider this idea reasonable. It is also understandable that the government would limit such retention of Imperial status only to naishinno princesses--daughters and granddaughters of the Emperor--to curb fiscal spending. [...]
Six of the eight unmarried female members of the Imperial family, including Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, have already reached the age of majority. If discussions over the status of Imperial women is prolonged, it could affect their marriage prospects. In light of this, it is rational for the government to speed up work to consider creating female Imperial branches with the understanding that opinions of the female Imperial family members will be reflected.
In the latest discussion, the government made sure that no revisions would be made to Article 1 of the Imperial House Law, which says that only male descendants from the male line of Imperial ancestors can succeed to the throne. The government stopped short of taking up the issue of Imperial succession probably because it gave top priority to moving the discussion forward without letting it stall over a controversial matter. [...]
During hearings from experts, some of them expressed strong opposition to the idea of creating female Imperial branches. They criticized the idea because creating such a system could make it possible for a member of a female line to succeed to the throne, and that would break Imperial traditions. Apparently taking such a view into consideration, the summary review calls for female Imperial branches to exist for only one generation.
The Yomiuri Shimbun/Asia News Network[...] While the government concluded that consideration should be given to the creation of Imperial branches to cope with the decreasing number of Imperial family members, it also included an alternative plan to allow female members to engage in Imperial activities by maintaining official status even after becoming commoners through marriage. The government is considering limiting the target of this proposal to naishinno princesses as well. [...]
The summary listed two possibilities regarding this plan--granting Imperial status to the husbands and children of Imperial women, and not doing so. Under the first option, it is stipulated that the children would lose their Imperial status upon marrying. It also is stated that there is "no historical precedent" for giving the status to such husbands and children. In the second option, the summary said measures should be taken to handle such issues as the family registry of such husbands and children. [...]
Some experts, who opposed the creation of new Imperial family branches, had proposed during the hearings that female members be allowed to continue using their Imperial titles, such as naishinno and "joo," for the Emperor's female descendants in the third or later generations, to engage in Imperial activities even after marriage. But the government concluded it would be "difficult to implement," as granting such titles to former Imperial family members might constitute a violation of equality for all under the Constitution, a government source said. [...]
Following the compilation of the summary, the government intends to devise a draft revision of the Imperial House Law after consulting the ruling and opposition parties and submitting the legislation to an ordinary Diet session next year at the earliest. But as Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe takes a cautious stance on the creation of Imperial branches by female Imperial family members, talks between political parties may proceed with difficulty, observers said.
The Yomiuri Shimbun/Asia News NetworkConcerned over the future of the Imperial family, the government in a report released Friday called for allowing princesses to create their own Imperial branches, though support for the solution is far from unanimous. The administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will be tested over whether it can convince the Liberal Democratic Party and other opposition parties to cooperate in revising the Imperial House Law to achieve the proposal. [...]
In Friday's report, the government expressed clear concern over the Imperial family system. "If the current system continues, we are gravely concerned the number of Imperial family members able to support the Emperor in his duties or act as his proxy in constitutional duties will approach zero," the report said. [...]
Many of the experts interviewed supported allowing princesses to create their own branches, and polls have showed the public agrees. A national Yomiuri Shimbun poll in December showed the idea had 64 per cent support. However, some of the experts interviewed opposed the idea, saying it would be a stepping stone to allowing women or descendants of female Imperial family members to take the throne. Some Diet members, particularly in the Liberal Democratic Party, also oppose the idea, making it difficult for the government to reach a consensus.
The issue fell by the wayside in the last ordinary Diet session as Noda focused on passing bills on the integrated reform of the social security and tax systems. [...]
The Imperial Household Agency has become increasingly anxious over the newly surfaced proposal [to allow princesses to continue using their imperial honorary status even after leaving the royal family], and its worries reportedly stem from the concerns of the Emperor himself over the future of the Imperial family. As the Emperor strictly complies with Article 4 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the Emperor will have no government-related powers, the government has refrained from asking him and other members of the Imperial family their opinions on whether princesses should be allowed to create their own branches. However, the Emperor has received reports on the interviews that were conducted with experts over the matter, as well as on the developments of discussions over the creation of new branches. Without asking directly, the Imperial Household Agency surmised the opinions of the Emperor and Imperial family members who would be directly affected by the change in the Imperial family system, and quietly reported its views to the government, a senior agency official said.
In the first place, the idea of allowing Imperial women to continue using their honorary Imperial status even after leaving the royal family was fundamentally flawed, as it would not curb the decline in the royal population. [...] A senior agency official expressed relief Friday over the government's report. "The decrease in the number of Imperial family members is unlikely to change in the near future. I hope the government will continue to discuss the issue even if the administration changes," he said. [...]
The government hopes to achieve a unanimous vote on any revision to the [Imperial House Law], considering the sensitivity of the matter. However, with opposition parties controlling the House of Councillors, it will be difficult to pass a bill without the cooperation of the LDP and other opposition parties. At a press conference Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura called for the parties to work together, saying that the issue "should not be used for political confrontation." However, conservative lawmakers, including new LDP President Shinzo Abe, are sceptical of allowing princesses to create their own Imperial branches. [...]
The Noda administration has become increasingly unstable, with many Democratic Party of Japan members leaving the party in recent months. Noda must show he remains as committed to the issue as he claimed to be last year.
The Yomiuri Shimbun/Asia News Network Sunday, Oct 07, 2012Giving top priority to the desires of each individual princess is to be a central principle in the government's review of allowing female Imperial family members to create new Imperial branches, according to a government official in charge of the matter.
The proposed changes to the Imperial family system would apply to Princesses Aiko, Mako and Kako among the current Imperial family. If all three princesses expressed their will to leave the Imperial family after marriage with commoners, it would be difficult to prevent a decline in the number of the Imperial family members and would render the new system ineffective as a way to keep the Imperial family sustainable. Nevertheless, the government chose to give top priority to the princesses' wishes for reasons of compassion. Princesses born into the Imperial family are raised on the understanding that they will leave the Imperial family when they marry and may have their own future dreams or visions. The government wants to avoid imposing constraints on the princess by allowing them to determine their own lives. The government principle reflected the views of members of the Imperial family to some extent.
I don't think you can impose British or other European practices on a country which has an entirely different history and culture. Calling it ridiculous is a bit much.
Who told you to impose the British monarchy practice: I just gave an example..
After all..every monarchy, how much ever differnt it is, follows the same principle right..that eldest one succeds and so on..Its just that in Japan daughters are "dissociated"..So I am suggesting instead of doing that, let them have their royal status forever,make them work in case of shortage, but keep their hubbies and kids out..Simple
The problem will not be solved but it will be a step in the right direction. For the first time, females of the Imperial Family will be treated as equals of men, or at least, close to it. They'll still be barred from succeeding to the Throne or passing succession rights to their descendants (male or female).Hmmm..ok thanks fr the clarification..But will the problem of succession be solved by letting females form their branches? It will again come to..letting the eldest female (or her son) ascend if there are no males..right? Then anyways the purpose of "preserving the male line' will not be served.. So why dont they simply start allowing female children to succeed to throne on basis of "male primogeniture"..
And by the way, the news item does mention its all to keep the number of royals who assist the emperor.Anyway..
I hope I have succeeded in making it clear why the Asahi Shimbun says that “The first proposal is probably the easiest to digest.”The government has come up with three proposals with regard to the pros and cons of allowing female members of the imperial family to maintain their status after marrying commoners. [...] Given the sensitivity of the matter, the government was careful not to step on any toes. Still, its proposals are hardly clear-cut. This is a matter on which the Japanese people have all sorts of opinions. [...]
The proposals are as follows:
(1) Female members establish their own imperial branches upon marriage to commoners and retain their imperial status. Their spouses and children will also be treated as members of the imperial family, but the children will lose their imperial status when they marry.
(2) Female members establish their own imperial branches upon marriage to commoners, but their spouses and children will not be treated as members of the imperial family.
(3) Female members will lose their imperial status upon marriage to commoners, but will become "special civil servants" to assist imperial family members in their activities. [...]
The first proposal is probably the easiest to digest.
The second proposal generates different statuses and treatments among immediate family members, and that could be awkward.
The third proposal emerged rather abruptly in the final stages of the government's consultation with experts. As such, it is only a bare-bones proposal that needs to be fleshed out further.
Some of the experts who were consulted voiced alarm at the possibility of a woman starting an imperial bloodline. [...] Most of these experts believe in upholding this tradition and keeping the imperial family at the current scale by allowing the adoption of male descendants of imperial family branches that were discontinued after World War II.
This scenario, however, is hardly likely to be acceptable to the general public. For one, it raises a number of tough questions, among which would be who, and from which defunct branches, should qualify for adoption. Such discussions may only make the public feel more distant from the imperial family. [...] In the future, the time may come when the issue of imperial succession will have to be addressed in earnest. When that time comes, the people could surely explore the alternatives available and make their decision.
The present generation should see to it that the next generation will be left with choices. We believe this is the attitude with which we should discuss the matter.
You are very welcome! Thank you for mentioning it.Thanks for your detailed explanation on how japanese system differs from British, especially reg. 'in-between's.
I quite agree. Besides, concerning the succession issue, there has been so much said about things being "unprecedented": a female-line emperor, a husband who gets imperial status via his wife... That is admittedly true, although it has to be said that breaking precedents is not always bad (even in Japan ): a commoner getting to be empress consort has been unprecedented, too, until quite recently, but as it turns out, Empress Michiko is very well respected.And even I consider the first option to be the most advisable.
Bringing the now-defunct branches is a very very ill-advised idea. It will be like going into backward ages.People will never be able to connect to them. It will also dilute the charisma of the present Emperor and his descendants.
I think that is why the government plans to give the option to stay only to the granddaughters of the emperor but not to the five granddaughters of Prince Mikasa.Allowing princesses to set up their own branches is ok, as long as their kids are again 'disowned' at the time of their weddings..
PS:Royal "crowds" always irritate people. British are ok with the crowd bcos they know very well the Kents, Gloucesters, and even the Yorks will move out, sooner or later..
I am confident that they will. Of course, two of them are still minor, so it is maybe a bit early to talk about them in terms of performing royal duties. But I happen to be really fond of twenty-year-old Princess Mako´s poise and intelligence. (pic 1, pic2)I hope these princesses work as sincerely as Princess Anne , Mahachakri etc, and bring good name to JRF
Star TribuneElections were set for Dec. 16. [...] The opposition Liberal Democratic Party, which led Japan for most of the post-World War II era, is in the best position to take over. The timing of the election likely pre-empts moves by more conservative challengers, including former Tokyo Mayor Shintaro Ishihara, to build up electoral support. [...] Noda's most likely successor is LDP head and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Mariel1 said:I read most of this but am not up on it very well. It seems to me that,as the Imperial Family is nearly extinct, its fortunes riding on one little boy, they have to allow female empresses. As in the most obvious, Aiko. Otherwise, just plan on the end of the family. What woman would marry the little boy when grows up, knowing that she was even more burdened to produce a male heir than her mother in law and aunt in law? It seems the family has become one of those rare families in which almost all children are one sex or another. I do not know if geneticists have figured this one out. But the family was inbred until modern times, and in such cases, bringing children to live birth can be difficult; female babies are more likely to survive than male ones, just because nature has given them an advantage in this. So if this is the case, there may continue to be predominantly female births.
Now take my "working class" great grandma who came to America in the Irish potato famine. She not only survived the boat trip to America in freezing conditions, but she had fourteen sons. No girls. Maybe just because she was tough as nails and healthy as a horse.
I agree with you about the Imperial family's need to adapt though. Personally, I'd love to see equal primogeniture applied and Aiko allowed to inherit.