Japan PM opposes changing male-only imperial succession

The comments are her clearest on the issue -- the subject of increasing debate as a succession crisis looms -- since her party's landslide election victory this month.

Takaichi said she respected the conclusion of a panel of experts who had discussed the matter and found in 2021 that it was "appropriate to limit eligibility to those who are male-line male descendants belonging to the imperial lineage".

"The government, and I, myself as well, respect this report."

The premier previously warned that revising the imperial family's succession rules is "an urgent matter", although this would likely involve "adopting" new members.

During a policy speech last , she said that she hoped "discussions will deepen on how to ensure stable imperial succession... leading toward the revision of the Imperial House Law".

Even though tradition dictates only a man can carry on the imperial line -- which goes back 2,600 years according to legend -- opinion polls have shown high public support for a woman taking the throne.

Emperor Naruhito has a daughter, Princess Aiko, but she has been sidelined by the royal family's male-only succession rules.

Japan has debated the royal succession for decades, with a key government panel in 2005 recommending that it pass to the oldest child regardless of their sex.

That appeared to pave the way for the emperor's daughter to rise to the Chrysanthemum Throne, but the birth of Prince Hisahito, the emperor's nephew, the following year silenced the debate.

In 2021, a government-appointed expert panel advised the government to consider allowing the imperial family to "adopt" new male members -- distant relatives that could be brought back into the fold.

But it is unclear if those men would be willing to give up their careers and freedom to continue the lineage.

The panel also said royal daughters -- currently forced to leave the family after marriage -- could potentially continue their public duties after their nuptials.

Traditionalists have asserted that the "unbroken imperial line" of male succession is the foundation of Japan, and major changes would divide the nation.

Under the post-war constitution, the royal family holds no political power.

Historically, women who wed royals have faced intense pressure to produce sons and some family members are regular subjects of online and media gossip.

Empress Masako, a former high-flying diplomat, struggled for years with a stress-related illness after joining the household, which some have put down to the pressure to have a boy.

Emperess Emerita Michiko, Naruhito's mother, also suffered stress-induced illnesses.