15:50 JST, October 24, 2026

The revised Imperial House Law, which was enacted during the recent special Diet session, has come into effect without much public understanding being gained. There are numerous issues that need to be addressed regarding future succession to the Imperial throne.

The government and the Diet must immediately take further action to deal with them.

Succession of commoners’ descendants

The revised law allows male descendants in the male lines of 11 former Imperial branches, which lost their Imperial status after the end of World War II, to be adopted into the Imperial family. While the adoptees themselves are not eligible to succeed to the throne, if they subsequently have a son, that son will be granted eligibility to succeed to the throne.

Not only does this revision permit the Imperial family to accept adoptees — something that had previously been prohibited — but it also grants eligibility for Imperial succession to the descendants of adoptees who are commoners. A strong sense of unease about this cannot be dispelled.

Under the current system, in which only male-line male descendants belonging to the Imperial lineage can inherit the throne, the only member of the Imperial family eligible to succeed in the generation below the Emperor is Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino. Unless Prince Hisahito marries and has a son, the current Imperial family lineage will come to an end.

With this revision, female members of the Imperial family can now retain their status even if they marry a male commoner. However, since their husbands and children remain commoners, the lines of such female Imperial family members will end after........

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