The Japanese Line of Succession, Explained
There are only three people currently eligible to follow Emperor Nahurito on the Chrysanthemum Throne
The Japan order of succession has just three people in line behind Emperor Naruhito: His brother, his nephew, and his uncle. This is because the line of succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne abides by agnatic primogeniture, or male descendants in the male line. Hypothetically, this is the order of succession:
- The Emperor's eldest son
- The eldest son of the Emperor's eldest son
- Other sons of the Emperor's eldest son
- The Emperor's second son and his male descendants
- Any other male descendants of the Emperor (i.e. third, fourth sons)
- Brothers of the Emperor and their male descendants
- Uncles of the Emperor and their male descendants
However, recently in Japan, Emperors almost exclusively have had daughters. Before the birth of Naruhito's nephew, Prince Hisahito, there was much debate about Japan switching to absolute primogeniture; Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have one daughter, Princess Aiko, who is not eligible to inherit the throne.
The Japan Imperial Family only has 17 members, and women in the family lose their royal status when they marry. So to this day, discussions regarding imperial succession in Japan continue. A special panel convened to discuss the issue found two solutions, per the Japan Times: "One of them is to allow female members to retain their imperial family status after marriage. The other is to give the status to male descendants in branches of the family's paternal line that were stripped of imperial status after World War II, using the adoption system." The adoption system refers to the idea that male members of the Imperial Family could adopt people into the line.
But as of now, this is the full Japanese line of succession:
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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