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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Mari Yamaguchi

Japan's imperial family is diminishing. Plan for male-only succession could make it worse

Aiko Hisahito Japan Akihito Chizuko Ueno Sanae Takaichi Akishino Mako Imperial Household Agency
Japan Imperial Succession - (Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool AFP via AP)

A law set to pass Friday by Japan's parliament could doom its 1,500-year-old hereditary institution by insisting that only men can be emperor, sparking worry about the shrinking, fast-aging imperial family.

Emperor Naruhito ’s 24-year-old daughter is hugely popular, and many Japanese want her to be his successor, but Princess Aiko is ineligible because she is a woman. Japan’s male-only succession rule means the line must move to the emperor's younger brother, then to his 19-year-old nephew Prince Hisahito. Next in line after him is the emperor's 90-year-old uncle.

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