Shelving 'Female Emperors' and 'Emperors of Female Lineage': The Sins of the Advisory Panel
The advisory panel on the stable succession to the throne held on December 22 decided on a final report based on two proposals: (1) female members of the Imperial Family will remain in the Imperial Family after marriage, and (2) male members of the former Imperial Family will return to the Imperial Family as adopted children: that once again shelved the issue of a female emperor and a female line of emperors, which is desired by the majority of the Japanese people, thus making the issue of the succession to the throne even more serious. The following is a quote from an article in the December 15 edition of President Online that I feel hits the nail on the head. The sins of the expert panel, which "ran away" from the issue of a stable succession to the throne, will make it even more difficult for Princess Aiko to marry With the departure of Mako, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, from the imperial family register after her marriage in October