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The Japanese parliament has approved a bill to relax imperial succession rules, amid concerns over the shrinking size of the imperial family.
On Friday, July 17, the upper house passed the bill, allowing the family to adopt distant male relatives over the age of 15 and permitting women, who chose to marry outside the family, to keep their royal status.
However, amid the surprising changes, the law still does not allow women to ascend the throne, despite public support, meaning Princess Aiko, the only child of the current emperor, Naruhito, is still not eligible to succeed the throne.
The bill will move through the final legal procedures before the changes take effect.
World oldest monarchy
Japan has the world's oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, with a lineage believed to have existed for over 2,600 years.
Currently first in line to the throne is 60-year-old Fumihito, the emperor's younger brother, while Fumihito's 19-year-old, Prince Hisahito, is second in line.
Third-in-line, and the last eligible candidate for the throne, is the emperor's 90-year-old uncle.
Without any amendments to the law, the line of succession will end if Prince Hisahito does not have a male child.
However, with the new bill, male descendants of 11 former imperial branches could be adopted back into the family. These family branches had been removed following the Second World War.
Princess Mako to retain her royal title?
Female members of the imperial family will also be permitted to retain their royal status if they marry commoners, unlike in the past, when Princess Mako was forced to give up her title and leave the family after marrying her college sweetheart in 2021.
However, descendants of female members with commoners will still not be able to inherit the throne.
First amendment since 1949
The bill, the first amendment to the main text of the Imperial House Law since 1949, marks the biggest overhaul of Japan's imperial system in decades.
Despite significant public support, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other conservative political leaders have voiced support for male-only succession rules.
