Emperor Naruhito
Open words about the crisis of the Japanese monarchy
© Dana Press
Staff shortages among the Japanese royals! Before his state visit to Great Britain, Emperor Naruhito speaks about the problems the imperial family is currently struggling with – and finds clear words.
The Japanese imperial family is running out of heirs. This reveals Emperor Naruhito, 64, before his state visit to Great Britain at the end of June and makes it clear how much this crisis is affecting the royals. After all, only four of the 16 members of Naruhito’s family are male and the Japanese monarchy is getting older – eight of them are already over 60 years old.
Emperor Naruhito is running out of staff
“The number of male members of the Imperial Family is decreasing, they are getting older, and the female members of the Imperial Family are leaving the Imperial Family when they marry,” Emperor Naruhito is quoted as saying by the British newspaper “Daily Mail” among others. The head of the family further explains: “If they were to marry a prince, they could stay within the family – the problem is that there are no other male members of the Imperial Family they could marry. Due to these factors, the number of members of the Imperial Family who can take on public duties is decreasing compared to before. This is an issue that affects the future of the Imperial Family, but I do not want to comment on matters that concern the [Rechts-]system.”
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Japan’s strict succession laws cause debate
With his statements, the emperor is alluding to Japan’s strict succession laws, which prohibit women from ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne and force them to give up their titles if they marry commoners. Most recently, Princess Mako, 32, caused a stir when she married commoner Kei Komuro, 32, in 2021 after years of discussions and began her journey into exile in New York shortly after her wedding.
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According to a recent poll, 90 percent of Japan’s population supports changing the law to allow women to ascend to the throne. However, conservative members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party strongly oppose the changes.
Source used: dailymail.co.uk