They are not known for talking to the press, but a member of the Japanese royal family has spoken out over the country’s succession laws. Princess Kikuko, the 90-year-old widow of Prince Takamatsu and Emperor Akihito’s aunt, believes there should be a debate over the question of whether or not a female can ascend to the chrysanthemum throne.
Speaking in a popular women's magazine Princess Kikuko said: “A female imperial family member may possibly ascend the throne as 127th empress. It is not unnatural at all to see it happen and consider the possibility when we reflect upon Japan’s long history.”
“What we have to ask legal experts is to study carefully how to deal with the first clause of the Imperial Household Law,” she added.
The law she refers to was drafted after the Second World War. Principally to redefine the Japanese emperor as a ceremonial leader, it also imposed the men-only rule. Prior to that, Japan was ruled by several empresses, the most recent of which was Gosakuramachi, who ascended the throne in the 18th century. All three grandchildren of the throne’s current incumbent are female, the last male in the imperial family being born in the 1960s.
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