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Japan changes rules to save shrinking monarchy, but bars female emperors

Japan’s parliament approved on Friday a revised Imperial House Law to address the issue of the shrinking royal family, while retaining the long-standing male-only succession…

By Samantha Johnson / July 17, 2026
Japan’s parliament approved on Friday a revised Imperial House Law to address the issue of the shrinking royal family, while retaining the long-standing male-only succession system, despite public support for female emperors.

The first substantive revision to the 1947 law introduced two changes – permitting the adoption of males aged 15 and over from former branch families descended from emperors through the male line and allowing female members to retain their imperial status even after marrying commoners.

Despite the historic changes to the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy, the conservative ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has faced criticism from opposition lawmakers for insufficient parliamentary deliberations.

They also have criticised the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, for their apparent push to preserve the tradition of male and paternal-line imperial succession. Under the revised law, male descendants of those adopted into the imperial family could ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Such adoptions were once considered unfeasible. But the legal change approved by the House of Councillors paved the way for unmarried male descendants of the 11 former branch families that lost their royal status decades ago to join the current 16-member imperial family.

Imperial succession has been a pressing but divisive issue at a time when Japan has only three male heirs to Emperor Naruhito.

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