Japan Parliament Passes Bill Allowing Adoptions to Expand Imperial Family but Keeps Male-Only Succession

Japan's parliament approved legislation on Friday that relaxes rules on imperial succession by allowing the family to adopt distant male relatives over age 15 and permitting women to keep their royal status after marrying outside the family. The upper house passed the bill after it cleared the lower house the previous week.

The changes mark the first amendment to the main text of the Imperial House Law since 1949.

The measure does not alter the existing prohibition on female emperors. Princess Aiko, the only child of the current emperor, therefore remains ineligible to succeed to the throne. Under the new rules, male descendants of 11 former imperial branches removed after the Second World War may be adopted back into the family.

Female members who marry commoners will no longer be required to relinquish their titles, as Princess Mako did in 2021. The line of succession currently stands at Fumihito, the emperor's 60-year-old younger brother, followed by his 19-year-old son Prince Hisahito and the emperor's 90-year-old uncle. Without male heirs from Prince Hisahito, the line would otherwise end.

A June survey by Mainichi Shimbun found more than 70 percent of more than 2,000 respondents supported allowing a female emperor. A Kyodo News poll reported 83 percent in favor of a woman taking the throne. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other conservative leaders have expressed support for maintaining male-only succession.