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Japan's parliament has approved significant changes to its Imperial House Law, permitting male adoptions from former royal families and allowing women to retain imperial status after marriage. However, the male-line succession system remains unchanged despite widespread public backing for female emperors.
Japan's parliament enacted imperial succession reforms allowing adoption of distant male relatives into the royal family, but rejected female succession despite polling showing 72% public support for allowing women to become emperor.
Japan's lower house has approved sweeping reforms to the Imperial House Law, the first major amendment since 1947. The bill tackles the declining imperial family through adoption rules and changes to women's status, signalling broader constitutional modernization.
Japan's Cabinet approval of Imperial House Law amendments has triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties, who accuse the ruling coalition of introducing contested succession rules without full parliamentary deliberation.
Japan's cabinet has approved legislation to address the shrinking imperial family by permitting adoption of male descendants from 11 former branch families and allowing women to retain imperial status after marriage, though it avoids the contentious question of female succession.