Japan’s Imperial House Law Revised Due to Decrease in Male Heirs

The Japanese Parliament has made significant changes to the Imperial House Law due to the decreasing number of males eligible to ascend to the throne.The upper house of the Japanese parliament, the House of Councillors, approved the amendment that was previously adopted by the House of Representatives.The revision of the Imperial House Law allows for the adoption of males aged 15 and above from former members of the imperial family who had lost their imperial status in the past.The new regulation enables female members of the imperial family to retain their imperial status if they marry a commoner.Prior to the amendment, women who married commoners would lose their imperial family member status and be forced to leave the family.However, the current system of succession, which allows only males with imperial ancestry on their father’s side to ascend to the throne, remains unchanged.