Anyone but a woman: prince
Adoption, concubines said preferable to an empress
Compiled from AP, Kyodo
Japan should exhaust all other options before allowing a woman to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne, including adoption and the use of concubines, a cousin of Emperor Akihito said in a newsletter obtained Thursday.
With the Chrysanthemum Throne facing a severe succession crisis -- the Imperial family has not produced a male heir in 40 years -- a government panel agreed last month to propose allowing women to reign. Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako have one child, 3-year-old Princess Aiko.
But Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, the Emperor's cousin, said that old traditions, such as allowing concubines, should be revived instead.
"We should try various other ways first," the prince, 56, wrote in an essay published in a newsletter circulated among staff of the Imperial Household Agency.
"The question is whether it is a right thing to change the unique tradition and history so easily."
The prince is the eldest cousin of the Emperor and is fifth in line to the throne.
While calls have been growing to revise the Imperial House Law to allow female monarchs, it is the first time an Imperial family member's views on the issue have been made known.
His comment appeared in the Sept. 30 newsletter, the latest edition of the quarterly, which is not sold, said Koji Okubo, an Imperial Household Agency staffer at the prince's residence.
In the essay, titled "Sea Lion's Chat," the prince suggested bringing back male royals who were forced from the old aristocracy after World War II, allowing the adoption of sons of former royals, or reviving a system in which the sons of concubines were allowed to ascend to the throne.
"Using concubines, like we used to, is also an option. I'm all for it, but this might be a little difficult considering the social climate in and outside the country," he wrote, noting that both the father and grandfather of his uncle, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, were sons of concubines.
The tradition ended during the reign of Emperor Showa -- known as Emperor Hirohito during his reign -- who refused to take a concubine.
Under the 1947 Imperial House Law, only males who are descended from emperors on their father's side can ascend to the throne. Under that law, neither Princess Aiko nor her future children can ascend to the throne.
The Imperial family is prohibited from interfering in politics under the Constitution, and they have no say over the panel's discussions.
Responding to the prince's column, one of the 10 members on the government panel said, "While it is private writing, I believe members of the Imperial family should be cautious in making political statements.
"We will just continue to proceed in our discussions toward the final report. The direction we plan to move toward will not change," said the member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Japan Times: Nov. 4, 2005
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20051104a1.htm
