Japan formally proclaimed Crown Prince Akishino the first in line as heir to the throne on Sunday, the last of a series of ceremonies after his elder brother, Emperor Naruhito, became monarch in 2019 after their father’s abdication.
The day-long ceremonies at the palace had been scheduled for April, but were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and have been scaled back as infections rise, though Japan has escaped the explosive outbreak seen in many other countries.
Under Japanese law, only males can inherit the throne, so Naruhito’s only offspring, 18-year-old Princess Aiko, is ineligible. Moves to amend the law lost steam when Akishino’s wife bore a son, Hisahito, in 2006.
“I deeply ponder the responsibility of Crown Prince and will discharge my duties,” Akishino, in orange robe, said in front of attendees, most of whom were wearing masks, according to footage from public broadcaster NHK.
Akishino, 54, is one of just three heirs to the throne with Hisahito, 14, and Prince Hitachi, 84, the younger brother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito, who stepped down in 2019 in Japan’s first abdication in two centuries.
Changes to the succession law are anathema to conservatives, but debate about how to ensure a stable succession will probably intensify.
One option is to allow females, including Aiko and Hisahito’s two elder sisters, to retain their imperial status after marriage and inherit or pass the throne to their children, a change that surveys show most ordinary Japanese favour.
Conservatives want to revive junior royal branches stripped of imperial status after the war.
– Reuters
