Dynastia cesarska Japonii
Imperial Dynasty of Japan

Perspectives

Author(s): Ewa Pałasz-Rutkowska
Subject(s): Cultural history
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Imperial House of Japan; succession to the throne; The Imperial Household Act; woman emperor; josei tennō; emperor of the female dynastic line; jokei tennō
Summary/Abstract: The problem of the future of the Imperial House returns from time to time, which is related to fears for the survival of the imperial dynasty. They result from the law in force, “The Imperial Household Act” (1947), according to which (article 1.) “the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by a male offspring in the male line belonging to the Imperial Lineage”. Since a woman cannot sit on the throne, today we only have three candidates, and one of them (Prince Hitachi) is already 87 years old. Official discussions on the revision of this law have been going on for a long time, the last ones ended in December 2021, but no specific decisions were made. So what's next? Will the imperial dynasty of Japan, the oldest in the world, survive?

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