Japan's Parliament voted Friday to revise the law regarding the royal succession that has been in place since 1947, expanding the number of eligible heirs to distant male relatives but did not relax the ban preventing Princess Aiko (pictured), or any other female royal, from ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
July 17 (UPI) -- Japanese lawmakers adopted measures Friday to bolster the dwindling ranks of the country's royal family but ignored public backing to permit female succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne in favor of allowing the family to adopt distantly related male kin.
The first major change to the law in almost 80 years legalizes the adoption of males born to former imperial branch families descended from emperors, provided they are 15 or older, as well as allowing female royals to marry outside the family without forfeiting their imperial status.
Males adopted into the imperial family will be permitted to succeed Emperor Naruhito over female members of the royal family, including his popular 24-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, who remains excluded from the succession.
The children of female royals who marry commoners will remain forever commoners and be recorded on the Basic Resident Register in line with the majority of ordinary Japanese citizens.
