Japan’s Parliament approves revisions to Imperial House Law to secure male-only succession and expand the royal family.

Japan’s upper house of parliament voted Friday to pass revisions to the Imperial House Law, ensuring that the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy maintains male-only succession. The administration announced the changes aim to address a succession crisis caused by a shrinking and aging imperial family. Under the new rules, the imperial family can adopt distant male relatives from former branches to father future successors, and princesses may retain their royal status after marrying commoners. While the revisions provide a short-term fix for the dwindling number of heirs, they do not allow women to ascend the throne. This remains a point of contention, as many citizens support the idea of a female monarch. For example, Princess Aiko, the 24-year-old daughter of Emperor Naruhito, remains ineligible to succeed her father despite her popularity. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other conservatives defended the male-only lineage as the foundation of the emperor’s legitimacy. The bill marks the first major overhaul of the Imperial House Law since 1949.

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