One is to allow royal women to keep their title and public duties when they wed outside the family. The second is to allow men from 11 former branches of the royal family abolished in post-war reforms to “rejoin” the direct line through adoption. Royal women have long walked a difficult path in Japan. The divine status of the imperial family was renounced after World War II following Japan’s militaristic sweep across Asia in the name of Emperor Hirohito. Since 1947, royal succession has been dictated by the Imperial Household Law, and issues surrounding it remain a delicate topic tightly bound with ideas of national identity.

Source: Taipei Times December 31, 2021 03:59 UTC