Former IF Siblings Emerge as Candidates for Princess Aiko's Bridgegroom? Male lineage Advocates Praise, Experts Criticize as Human Rights Issue
On January 27, "Shukan Shincho"
published a feature article with the following headline.
“Princess Aiko's potential bridgegroom ranked No. 1
by IHA! What is the "Kaya Family," the most
likely candidate for the return of the male members of the former IF to the Imperial Register?”
The import of the article is that among the
existing members of the former imperial family, the Kaya family, which has two
unmarried boys, is attracting attention among those involved as the "most
promising candidate" to return to IF as a husband of Her Imperial Highness Princess Toshinomiya Aiko.
At the end of last year, the government's advisory
panel compiled a report on measures to secure the number of members of the IF.
(1) The female members of the IF will
retain their status as members of the IF after marriage.
(2) Male members of the former imperial
family will return to the imperial family as adopted children.
Of these, (2) the former imperial families
are the 11 families that left the imperial register in 1947 after the end of WWII.
The five families that remain today are the Higashikuni, Kuni, Kaya, Asaka, and
Takeda families.
However, with regard to (2), there are
objections even within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and among the
people there is an awareness of the question, "How can a person who left
the imperial family three generations ago and has lived as a private citizen
suddenly be revered as a member of IF?”
In the midst of all this, the article at
the beginning of this article appeared in the Shukan Shincho.
The two brothers of Kaya family are both in
their mid-twenties and would be suitable mates for Aiko, who turned 20 last
year.
Mr. Masanori Kaya, the father of two Princess
Aiko's "potential bridgegrooms," was a classmate of His Majesty the
Emperor, Aiko’s father, from Gakushuin Primary School to university. In 1987,
six years before His Majesty's wedding, His Majesty invited Masako, the present
Empress, who was working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time, to a
tea party, and Mr. Kaya was present at the party, so he must have been very
trusted by His Majesty. (However, it is
not clear if they are currently close friends.)
After graduating from university, Mr. Kaya
moved from a major trust bank to the IHA. He was then transferred to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he is still working in the Office of the MFA.
Mr. Kaya's two sons attended Gakushuin
through high school and Waseda for college, and are likeable and good-looking
young men. Some people have been suggesting them as possible marriage partners
for Princess Aiko for several years.
The Japan Council, a conservative political
group that supports the LDP government, has been paying attention to the Kaya
family for quite some time now, and leaked voices were heard saying, "If
only Princess Aiko and a boy from the Kaya family, the former imperial family,
would marry.”
The Roundtable Meeting of Parliamentarians
of the Japan Council, whose members include major members of the LDP, has been
advocating the maintenance of the male line of succession to the throne. But
why do they want Princess Aiko to marry a male member of the former Imperial
Family?
It has already been 75 years since the
former imperial family left IF. The people of Japan are not very familiar with
the former imperial family, and the living environment is now far removed from
that of IF. In order to bridge this gap, some male lineage advocates have argued
that it would be best if Princess Aiko and a male member of the former imperial
family were to marry.
If he is Aiko's "husband," he
will be able to receive the blessings of the people, and the child born to him
will be the grandson of His Majesty the Emperor and a male lineage male.
Dr. Yuji Odabe, Professor Emeritus at
Shizuoka University of Social Welfare, disagrees with these claims of the male
lineage advocates.
“As long as some of the male lineage
advocates are advocating the marriage of Princess Aiko to a male member of the
former imperial family as a solution to the problem of succession to the
throne, even if the marriage were to take place, it would leave the impression
that the marriage was carried out under political pressure, and there is a
possibility that the people's respect for IF would be damaged.
Also, as a citizen of Japan, I believe that
we should absolutely avoid sacrificing the life of Princess Aiko in order to
maintain the male line.”
Also, journalist Saori Imai contributed to
a news website and wrote
"(Omitted)
The issue of Aiko's partner and
"adoption" is also related to the issue of Japan's international
reputation. The choice of Aiko's partner is made only to ensure the
continuation of the male line? I don't think this is something that people in
developed countries, where gender equality is advancing, would understand at
all. Moreover, in support of the male line, the XY gene is being discussed
without hesitation. It is called Nazism and is abhorrent to the point of nausea
to use genes to differentiate people in this way. I am terrified that if this
were to be reported abroad, the reputation of Japan and the Imperial Family
would be ruined.”
The LDP heavyweights have repeatedly stated
that they would like to discuss the issue of the succession to the throne in a
tranquil environment, which now sounds like a lot of sense.
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