Female Monarchy and Kojo (Imperial Princess) System


 

What is Female Monarchy?

 

The Female monarchy is a monarchy of the Japanese Imperial Family that is headed by a female member of the Imperial Family (an imperial prince or queen), which does not exist currently.  Since this spring, a government advisory panel of  has been deliberating on the establishment of a female monarchy.

If a female monarchy is to be established, it could include Mako Akishino and Komuro, whose marriage has been postponed, and many people are skeptical about the idea.

 

Under the current Imperial Household Law, only male emperors are allowed to be the head of the Imperial Family, and female emperors are not allowed. In addition, the Imperial Household Law assumes a male lineage of the Imperial Family, as it stipulates that "if a female member of the Imperial Family marries a male other than the Emperor or the Imperial Family, she ceases to be a member of the Imperial Family (Article 12)," and as a result, it completely excludes female members of the Imperial Family and female Emperors in the future. For these and other reasons, the establishment of the Imperial Family has been limited to male members of the Imperial Family (kings and queens),[2] and there are no examples of female members of the Imperial Family (royal concubines and queens) establishing the Imperial Family.

 

Currently, the number of persons eligible to succeed to the throne is decreasing (the current number of persons eligible to succeed to the throne is three: Prince Akishino (55), Prince Hisahito (14), and Prince Hitachi (85)).

 

History of Discussions on Female Monarchy (2005-2017)

- In 2005, an expert panel established by the Junichiro Koizumi cabinet compiled a report that accepted the idea of a female emperor and a female line of emperors. A draft amendment to the Imperial Household Law was also prepared, but it was not submitted to the Diet due to the birth of Prince Eugene the following year .

- In 2012, the Noda Cabinet held a hearing of experts to sort out the issues, and came up with a proposal to consider the creation of a "female monarchy" that would allow female members of the Imperial Family to remain in the Imperial Family after marriage. On the other hand, Shinzo Abe, who was a member of the House of Representatives of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party at the time, rejected the proposal to create a female monarchy on the grounds that it might lead to the accession of a female emperor or a female emperor, and published an essay in a monthly magazine stating that the return of the former imperial family to the imperial register should be considered for the succession to the throne. As prime minister, he also expressed a negative view at a plenary session of the House of Representatives in January 2013, shortly after the LDP returned to power, saying, "The issue of a female monarchy, which was being considered by the former Noda cabinet, needs to be handled carefully."

- During the 2017 ordinary Diet session, in response to the current supreme emperor Akihito's intention to abdicate, the DPP attempted to stimulate discussion on the creation of a "women's imperial family" in conjunction with the permanent institution of the emperor's abdication. Yoshihiko Noda, Secretary General of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said, "In order to cope with the decline in the number of members of the Imperial Family, we would like to put the issue of a female monarchy on the chopping block," and showed his readiness to take up the issue in the Diet. However, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wary that the proposal might trigger a debate on the issue of female or female emperors, and many parties other than the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), including the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which are aligned with the DPP in advocating a permanent system of abdication, voiced the view that the top priority should be to examine the issue of abdication.

(The above is a summary from Wikipedia)


Progress of the Advisory Panel Meeting in 2021

In March 2021, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga established a government panel to discuss issues such as ensuring a stable succession to the throne (the official name of the panel is the Advisory Panel on the "Supplementary Resolution to the Bill for Special Exceptions to the Imperial Household Law Concerning the Abdication of the Emperor, etc."). The council will hold hearings with experts to sort out the issues regarding the succession to the throne. At the meeting, the possibility of a female emperor and a female lineage emperor, as well as the female monarchy and the imperial princess system (see the next section) are being discussed.

 

For details on the progress of the expert panel, see this article.

The cabinet’s advisory panel page is here

 

Of the experts who expressed their opinions at the hearing, Naotaka Kimizuka, a professor of British political and diplomatic history at Kanto Gakuin University said, "The current burden of official duties on the Imperial Family is too small. We should follow the example of the British and create a female monarchy in order to increase the number of members of the imperial family.

On the other hand, famous conservative journalist Yoshiko Sakurai says, "The female members of the Imperial Family should become civilians after marriage.

 

Economy of Female Monarchy and Mako Issue

In the event that a female monarchy is established, the head of the female monarchy will receive 31.5 million yen per year as her allowance (i.e. imperial family expenses) according to the current standards (see this page from the Imperial Household Agency for the standards for royal family expenses). They are also provided with security and are given a residence in the Imperial Palace or Akasaka Imperial Palace. Mako's spouse will also become a member of the Imperial Family and will be called "HIH Prince”.

For this reason, some people have pointed out that this system is designed to keep Mako in the Imperial Family and make Komuro a member of the Imperial Family.

 

The Akishino family has deepened its relationship with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and four of them, Akishino, Noriko, Mako, and Kako, attended the funeral of the elder politician, former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone last fall. For this reason, it is widely believed that they are campaigning to keep Mako and Kako in the imperial family after their marriage as the female monarchy.

 

 

‘Kojo’ System
 

In November 2020, a government official revealed a proposal to have female members of the Imperial Family continue their activities in the Imperial Household after they leave the Imperial Family through marriage, positioning them as special national officials. In November 2020, a government official revealed that the name of the royal family member would be "Kojo 皇女(i.e. imperial princess)”.

 https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2020112400500&g=soc

 

The establishment of a female monarchy is related to the issue of succession to the throne and whether or not to allow spouses and children to become members of the imperial family. The "Kojo system" has the advantage of reducing the burden of official duties without causing such problems. It is expected that the Kojo will be paid about six million yen (some $54.84K) a year as remuneration.

In response to this, Edano, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, ordered that "discussion of a stable succession to the throne should come first," and there is also the opinion that making the "Kojo (imperial princess)," who is not a member of the imperial family, a special public servant may violate the principle of equality under the law. There is also opposition to this system as it may favor Mako and Komuro.

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