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Japan’s beloved Princess Aiko is often hailed as a pop star.
during the trip to nagasaki with the emperor naruhito and Empress Masako, her parents cheered as well-wishers shouted her name in the streets.
As she turns 24 on Monday, her supporters want change JapanMale-only succession law, which prevents Aiko, the emperor’s only child, from becoming king.
Along with the frustration that discussions on succession rules have stalled, there is also a sense of urgency. Japan’s shrinking monarchy is on the verge of collapse. Naruhito’s teenage nephew is the only suitable successor of the younger generation.
experts Conservative MPs including the Prime Minister say women’s ban should be lifted before the royal family is abolished Sanae TakaichiResist change.
Aiko’s popularity has increased the demand for a male emperor.
Aiko has gained fans since debuting as an adult royal in 2021, when she impressed the public as intelligent, friendly, caring, and funny.
Support for Aiko as future monarch increased after her first solo official trip abroad representing the monarch to Laos in November. During the six-day visit, he met top Lao officials, visited cultural and historical sites and met local people.
Earlier this year, Aiko visited Nagasaki and Okinawa with her parents. He has followed the example set by his father, who placed great importance on conveying the tragedy of World War II to the younger generation.
“I have always advocated for Princess Aiko to be crowned,” said Setsuko Matsuo, an 82-year-old atomic bombing survivor who came to Nagasaki’s Peace Park a few hours before Aiko and her parents were scheduled to arrive in the area. “I like everything about her, especially her smile… very comfortable,” he told The Associated Press at the time.
Mari Maihira, a 58-year-old office worker waiting to cheer on Aiko in Nagasaki, said she has watched Aiko grow up and “now we want to see her become a future emperor.”
The popularity of the princess has put pressure on some legislators to change the law.
Cartoonist Yoshinori Kobayashi has written comic books pushing for a legal change to allow Aiko to become king, which supporters continue to send to lawmakers to raise awareness and get their support for the issue.
Others have set up YouTube channels and distributed leaflets to draw public attention to the issue.
Ikuko Yamazaki, 62, is using social media to advocate for the succession of the emperor’s first child regardless of gender. She says that not making Aiko an heir and insisting on only a male king will destroy the monarchy.
Yamazaki said, “The inheritance system reveals the Japanese mentality regarding gender issues.” “I hope that having a female emperor will dramatically improve the status of women in Japan.”
Aiko’s upbringing
The popular princess was born on 1 December 2001.
Shortly after giving birth to Aiko, her mother, Harvard-educated former diplomat Masako, developed a stress-induced mental condition, apparently due to criticism for not producing a male heir, from which she is still recovering.
Aiko was known as a child genius who, as a sumo fan, remembered the full names of wrestlers.
However, she also faced difficulties: as an elementary school girl, she missed class for some time due to bullying. As a teenager, she appeared extremely thin and missed classes for a month.
In 2024, Aiko graduated from Gakushuin University, where her father and several other royals had studied. Since then he has taken up his official duties and participated in palace rituals while working at the Red Cross Society. On weekends, she likes to take walks with her parents and play volleyball, tennis and badminton with palace officials.
Japan’s monarchy is in ‘fragile condition’
The Imperial House Law of 1947 allows succession only to the male line and forces female royals who marry commoners to lose their imperial status.
The rapidly shrinking royal family now has 16 members, compared to 30 three decades ago. All are adults.
Naruhito has only two potential young male heirs, his 60-year-old younger brother, Crown Prince Akishino, and Akishino’s 19-year-old son, Prince Hisahito. Prince Hitachi, the younger brother of former Emperor Akihito and the third claimant to the throne, is 90 years old.
Akishino acknowledged the aging and declining imperial population, “but nothing can be done under the present system.”
“I think all we can do right now is reduce our official duties,” he told reporters ahead of his 60th birthday on Sunday.
Last year, the Crown Prince said royal members are “human beings” whose lives are affected by the discussion, a subtle but rare comment. Akishino said Sunday that he had seen no changes, although palace officials took his comments seriously.
Aiko has previously said she is aware of the declining royal population, but could not comment on the system. “Under these circumstances, I hope that I will faithfully perform every official duty and help the Emperor and Empress as well as other members of the Imperial Family.”
The lack of male heirs is a serious concern for the monarchy, which some historians say has lasted for 1,500 years. It is also a reflection of Japan’s broader problem of rapidly aging and declining population.
“I think the situation is already serious,” said Hideya Kawanishi, a Nagoya University professor and expert on the monarchy. Its future is entirely dependent on the ability of Hisahito and his potential wife to produce a male child. “Who would want to marry her? If one did so, one would have to endure enormous pressure to produce a male heir while performing official duties on a supernatural ability.”
Shingo Hakata, the former head of the Imperial Household Agency, said in an article in the Yomiuri newspaper this year that Hisahito would have to bear the burden and fortune of the Imperial family himself. “The fundamental question is not whether a man or a woman should be allowed to inherit, but how to save the monarchy.”
Japan’s male-only succession system is relatively new
Japan has traditionally had male emperors, but there have also been eight female emperors. The last was Gosakuramachi, who ruled from 1762 to 1770.
The male-only succession rule became law in 1889 and was carried over into the Imperial House Law of 1947 after the war.
Experts say the system previously worked only with the help of concubines, who, until about 100 years ago, produced half of previous emperors.
The government proposed allowing a female emperor in 2005, but Hisahito’s birth allowed nationalists to rescind the proposal.
fruitless search for a male heir
In 2022, a largely conservative expert panel called on the government to maintain its male-line succession, while allowing female members of the family to retain their royal status after marriage and continue their official duties. Conservatives also proposed adopting male descendants from extinct distant branches of the royal family to continue the male line, which is considered unrealistic.
The UN Women’s Rights Committee in Geneva last year urged the Japanese government to allow a female emperor, saying not doing so hinders gender equality in Japan.
Japan rejected the report as “sad” and “inappropriate”, saying that imperial succession is a matter of fundamental national identity.
Professor Kawanishi said, “Although it is not clear, what they are saying is clearly in favor of male superiority. This is their ideal society.”