Japan's Parliament Advances Imperial House Law Revision

Leaders of both houses of Japan's parliament have approved an outline for a bill to revise the Imperial House Law. The proposal would let male members of former imperial branches, aged 15 or older, be adopted into the imperial family and would give current female imperial members the option to retain their status after marriage. The outline, presented by Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, also sets a 30‑year review clause and specifies that adopted male members would not be eligible to succeed to the throne. The government plans to draft the bill by the end of the month and seeks enactment before the current parliamentary session ends on July 17.

A Jiji Press poll shows 38.2% of respondents support the two measures, with 9.2% opposing both. Support is higher among Liberal Democratic Party supporters (48.8%) and varies across other parties.