Is it because they believe the bloodline passes through men?
.the problem is not female emperor
Princess Kiko and Baby Prince Head Home
Princess Kiko and her newborn son Prince Hisahito have left hospital.
Princess Kiko and Prince Hisahito were discharged Friday from the Aiiku Hospital, where she gave birth last week.
Prince Akishino accompanied his wife and son to the family's residence in the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo.
This was the public's first look at the new Prince, and a large crowd gathered around the hospital and nearby roads to catch a glimpse.
Princess Kiko had Hisahito by Caesarean section on September 6. The Imperial Household Agency says the baby is healthy and has a strong cry. Princess Kiko has recovered well and is breast-feeding her baby.
The baby is the first male heir born into the Imperial family in almost 41 years. He is third in line to the throne, after the Crown Prince and his father, Prince Akishino.
Later, Prince Akishino and the Princess said in a statement they are grateful for the warm support they received over the birth of Prince Hisahito.
Prince Akishino said he is very happy that both mother and child were able to leave hospital, and thanked the medical staff for making the stay comfortable.
Princess Kiko said the warm support by the Emperor and Empress, as well as the earnest care from the medical team, gave her strength when she felt anxious about her pregnancy complications.
She also thanked her friends, family and all the people who prayed for the baby's safe delivery.
It seems that they still are tied to the dark ages when it comes to equality when it comes to monarchies. People like Shimomura shopuld really take a look at the world around them and realise that women are just as capable of being a monarch as much as a man can, and in some cases better.Japantimes.co.jp said:Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006
Abe ally wants law ensuring male-only succession
Kyodo News
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hakubun Shimomura, a close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said Saturday an Imperial law should be revised "not so far in the future" to ensure a stable male-line succession of emperors.
"The tradition of male-line succession will not be safe without revising the law just because Prince Hisahito has been born," Shimomura said at a rally in Tokyo celebrating the royal birth. "We are now in an important period when we must begin thinking about a legal revision in the Diet not so far in the future."
Some of the main proposals floated by conservative politicians, including Abe, to ensure a male-line succession are giving royal status to some male members of former Imperial families and having them succeed existing Imperial branch families.
In addressing a predominantly conservative audience, the Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker stressed that Abe's new Cabinet will not be constrained by the panel of experts appointed by Junichiro Koizumi. He also ruled out the creation of a new expert panel under the Abe administration.
Last year, Koizumi's panel recommended allowing female monarchs and their descendants to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne to ensure a stable succession -- a proposal staunchly opposed by conservatives like Shimomura.
Shimomura called on other lawmakers to join a group to be set up in mid-October aimed at preserving traditional Imperial succession rules.
"I would like many Diet members to join the caucus and would like to see the caucus be proactive in making proposals to the government," he said.
The new group, to be headed by Yoshinobu Shimamura, an LDP lawmaker and former farm minister, is expected to discuss how laws can be enacted or revised to maintain the male-line Imperial succession.
Prior to Prince Hisahito's birth on Sept. 6, no male had been born to the world's oldest hereditary monarchy for 41 years. Under the Imperial House Law, which limits successors to males, Prince Hisahito is the only heir in the monarchy's youngest generation, standing third in line to the throne behind his uncle, Crown Prince Naruhito, and his father, Prince Akishino.
America also has yet to have a female President..........
It seems it should be up to the royal family and the royal family alone, no?
It is a common misconception that it is stipulated in the Japanese Constitution that the Emporer must be male. I dare anyone to read the constitution and find that stipulation. The only thing the constitution says specifically about the order of succession, etc., is that it is to be decided by parliament (Chapter 1, Article 2).
EDIT: And as the constitution states that it is parliament's job to decide the imperial succession, and the parliament is elected by common citizens, it therefore becomes the entire country's business to decide. Not to mention that the Emporer is the "symbol of the country of Japan and the unification of its people". One would hope that the people would get at least some say in matters concerning their symbols.
but further restricted the succession to legitimate-born sons, grandsons, and male line descendants of an emperor.
Yet another false criticism fooled by media disinformation tactics: huge difference between "male-line succession" and "male-only succession."I read this todayIt seems that they still are tied to the dark ages when it comes to equality when it comes to monarchies.Originally Posted by Japantimes.co.jp
Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006
Abe ally wants law ensuring male-only succession
Kyodo News
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hakubun Shimomura, a close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said Saturday an Imperial law should be revised "not so far in the future" to ensure a stable male-line succession of emperors.
I know what the Imperial Household Law is. Notice that it is not part of the constitution, but separate from it.
Article 2 of the Constitution of Japan, promulgated in 1947 by influence of US occupation administration and still in force, provides that "The Imperial Throne shall be dynastic and succeeded to in accordance with the Imperial Household Law passed by the Diet." The Imperial Household Law of 16 January 1947, enacted by the ninety-second and last session of the Imperial Diet, retained the exclusion on female dynasts found in the 1889 law. The government of Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru hastily cobbled together the legislation to bring the Imperial Household in compliance with the American-written Constitution of Japan that went into effect in May 1947. In an effort to control the size of the imperial family, the law stipulates that only legitimate male descendants in the male line can be dynasts; that imperial princesses and princesses lose their status as Imperial Family members if they marry outside the Imperial Family; and that the Emperor and other members of the Imperial Family may not adopt children. It also prevented branches, other than the branch descending from Taisho, from being imperial princes any longer.
I will be honest in saying that I have only ever read the Japanese the Japanese text of the Consitution and the Imperial Household Law. I will further be honest in saying that I only know that the way to change the rules of succession are to change the Imperial Household LAW. Laws are infinately more easy to change than is the Constitution. There is absolutely no necessity to change or amend or alter the Constitution in any way whatsoever to allow women to assume the throne because the Constitution never dirties its hands with the problemBut from reading this the constitution follows "succeeded to in accordance with the Imperial Household Law passed by the Diet" the heir will be a male.
Besides that if it wasnt a part of the consititution why would the diet even consider an amendment to the consititution to allow females to succeed in the case there is no male heir.
Seems to me that if it wasnt there in the first place it wouldn't need to have an amendment now would it?
The Imperial Throne shall be dynastic and succeeded to in accordance with the Imperial House Law passed by the Diet
That is Article 2 of the Constitution of Japan with regards to the Emperor.
The diet has the last word on the Imperial Household Law, also since the is included in the Consititution of Japan by default the Imperial Household Law is subject to the diet and constitution itself.
http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Japan/English/english-Constitution.html#CHAPTER_I
That is a link to an English translation of the constitution of Japan Chapter I The Emperor. It may be semantics but to the current or at least Koizumi government of Japan the issue was real enough that discussions were held to amend the constitution before the recent birth of the royal family.
I think I should say you're welcome here.......bowing to you.I There is a distinction for a reason.
I am not trying to be a dick. I just think that people have a huge misunderstanding about this issue, and it bothers me a lot for some reason.
Incidentally, this is the longest post I've contributed to JREF in months! Thanks alt for giving me something to write about again!
Mikawa Ossan is right.
The succession of a man of the Emperor is not mentioned in a constitution.
In one chapter of Article 2 of the Constitution of Japan,
"The Emperor is hereditary"