Asian nation with 1,500-year-old imperial line insists only men can become emperor in policy revision

Japan's parliament has approved a bill to relax imperial succession rules, aiming to address concerns about the shrinking size of the imperial family. The new law, passed by the upper house, permits the adoption of male distant relatives aged over 15 back into the family. It also allows women to retain their royal status after marrying outside the family. However, the legislation maintains the existing ban on female emperors, meaning Princess Aiko, the current emperor's only child, remains ineligible to succeed the throne. This change comes as Japan's imperial family faces a limited pool of eligible male heirs.

Japan's parliament approved a revised Imperial House Law on Friday to address the shrinking royal family. The changes permit the adoption of males aged 15 and over from former imperial branch families and allow female members to retain their imperial status after marrying commoners. Despite these revisions, the law maintains the male-only succession system, a decision made by the conservative ruling coalition. This marks the first significant update to the 1947 law governing the monarchy. Opposition lawmakers criticized the limited parliamentary deliberations surrounding the changes.