The
Imperial Household Law of 1947 abolished the Japanese nobility; under provisions of this law, the imperial family was streamlined to the descendants of
Emperor Taishō. The laws of succession in Japan prevent inheritance by or through women.
Debate The birth of Princess Aiko sparked debate in Japan about whether the
Imperial Household Law of 1947 should be changed from the current system of
agnatic primogeniture to
absolute primogeniture, which would allow a woman, as firstborn, to inherit the
Chrysanthemum Throne ahead of a younger brother or male cousin. Although Imperial chronologies include ten empresses regnant as female monarchs in the course of Japanese history, their successors were always selected from amongst the members of the paternal Imperial bloodline, which is why some scholars argue that the women's reigns were temporary and that male-only succession tradition must be maintained in the 21st century. Genshō's father,
Prince Kusakabe, was also a member of the imperial dynasty, as the son of
Emperor Tenmu, and therefore Genshō was a patrilineal descendant of the imperial bloodline. In addition, Empress Genshō herself was succeeded by her brother's son, thus keeping the throne in the same agnatic line; both Genshō and Genmei, as well as all other empresses regnant and emperors, belonged to the same
agnatic line. A government-appointed panel of experts submitted a report on 25 October 2005, recommending that the Imperial succession law be amended to permit absolute primogeniture. On 20 January 2006, Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi used part of his annual keynote speech to address the controversy when he pledged to submit a bill to the
Diet letting women ascend to the throne in order that the Imperial throne be continued into the future in a stable manner. Koizumi did not announce a timing for the legislation to be introduced nor did he provide details about the content, but he did note that it would be in line with the conclusions of the 2005 government panel.
Birth of male cousin Proposals to replace agnatic primogeniture were shelved temporarily after it was announced in February 2006 that the-then Crown Prince's younger brother,
Fumihito, Prince Akishino, and his wife,
Kiko, Princess Akishino, were expecting their third child. On 6 September 2006, Princess Kiko gave birth to their first son,
Hisahito, who was third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne at the time of the birth under the current law, after his uncle, the then-Crown Prince, and his father, Prince Akishino. The prince's birth provided the first male heir to be born in the imperial family in 41 years. On 3 January 2007, Prime Minister
Shinzō Abe announced that he would drop the proposal to alter the Imperial Household Law. Surveys have shown 80% public support for a female succession. A
manga by Kobayashi Yoshinori called has led to debates and also been circulated amongst the members of the National Diet. ==Titles, styles and honours==