Kōi Keishō Kiki

[Reiwa]

Imperial Succession Crisis

With just three eligible heirs to the Chrysanthemum throne – and two of them 60 or over – the imperial family is facing a succession crisis.

Japan’s monarchy has for centuries maintained male-only succession, which is on-brand for a deeply patriarchal society where men dominate other spheres of life such as business and politics.

Now, that rule has come to threaten the very survival of the world’s oldest monarchy which, in recent decades, has spawned more daughters than sons.

To solve the dearth of heirs, government ministers have proposed reinstating former branches of the royal family, thereby expanding the pool of male successors. The changes are awaiting parliamentary approval.

But it has left scholars, opposition politicians and some citizens wondering: why not just let women take the throne?

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You know, when people mention a royal succession crisis in Japan, I’m not sure that’s really accurate. The imperial family already has both a successor and a backup, after all.