The Japanese Parliament retained the male line of succession to the throne.

The Japanese parliament approved a number of amendments to the law on the imperial house, but retained the tradition of handing over the throne exclusively to men on the paternal side. This was reported by Japan Today on July 17.

"People who follow the royal family and experts fear that the new measures could doom a thousand-and-a-half-year-old dynasty, due to the fact that only men can be emperor. This raises concerns about the shrinking and rapidly aging imperial family," the publication says.

The main heir of Emperor Naruhito of Japan is his 60-year-old younger brother Prince Akishino, who is only six years younger than the emperor. However, by the time of his eventual ascension to the throne, he will be too old to fulfill the duties of emperor. In this case, power will pass to his 19-year-old son, the nephew of Emperor Hisahito. The third in line of succession is the emperor's uncle, Prince Hitachi, who is 90 years old.

Many Japanese fear that the imperial dynasty will be interrupted if Hisahito does not have a son. The new changes should help to avoid a situation in which the country may be left without a legitimate ruler. The amendments will allow the imperial family to adopt distant male relatives over the age of 15. Their future sons will also be able to claim the throne.

In addition, the princesses will be able to retain their title even if they marry a man from a non-imperial family. According to conservatives, the preservation of inheritance in the male line is necessary, since it is the source of the emperor's legitimacy.

As Japan Today noted, many Japanese see the parliament's decision as an attempt to oust Princess Aiko, the emperor's 24-year-old daughter, who is very popular among the population. Hideya Kawanishi, an expert on monarchy at Nagoya University, said that reform advocates call this a tradition, although critics consider this approach to be a manifestation of male chauvinism.

Japan is facing a succession crisis. What you need to know

NHK reported on July 14 that the level of support for the Japanese government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dropped to 58%, the lowest level since the cabinet was formed in November 2025. It was clarified that the survey was conducted over the phone for three days. 2,898 people took part in it, while 1,145 respondents gave answers, which is about 40% of the total number of respondents.