Japan’s Ruling, Opposition Parties to Delay Compiling Plan on Imperial Succession; General Agreement on Female Imperial Family Members Keeping Status

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, June 4, 2025

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are expected to postpone compiling a plan for stable Imperial succession. The leaders and deputy leaders of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors had hoped to have the plan be completed before the upper house election this summer, according to sources.

The two parties apparently decided they needed more time for discussions, as they failed to overcome their differences after several unofficial meetings.

The parties mostly discussed two issues: whether to allow female Imperial family members retain their Imperial status after marriage and whether the Imperial family should adopt male descendants of male lines of former Imperial family branches.

The parties are generally in agreement on the issue of female Imperial family members retaining their status.

However, the LDP opposed the idea of giving husbands and children of female Imperial family members Imperial status. The LDP said it is concerned that it might lead to an emperor from the female line. The CDPJ, on the other hand, seemed positive about the idea of having an emperor from the female line.

LDP top adviser Taro Aso and CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda have repeatedly held unofficial negotiations, looking for common ground.

Aso argued that Imperial status should only be given to the husbands and children of female Imperial family members if her husband is a descendant from the male line of one of the 11 branch families that lost their Imperial status after World War II.

Noda presented a plan to have the Imperial House Council resolve the Imperial status issue.

As both parties are in general agreement regarding female Imperial family members retaining their Imperial status after marriage, some said a plan should be compiled ahead of other issues.

However, House of Representatives Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga took a more cautious stance and said the issue should be decided at the same time as whether to give husbands and children an Imperial status and pushed to postpone the final decisions.