Japan’s Crown Prince says dwindling royal family may have to scale down duties
Naruhito's succession left only two younger males in line for the throne, 53-year-old Akishino and his 12-year-old son, Hisahito
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Japan’s shrinking royal family may have to cut down on its duties as more of its members opt out of the royalty.
Crown Prince Fumihito, better known as Prince Akishino, is now next in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne after his father, Akihito, abdicated at the end of April and his brother Naruhito succeeded him in May.
The family faces a declining membership, with Akihito and his wife now retired and their three granddaughters expected to lose royal status when they each marry a commoner.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito's younger brother told reporters ahead of a trip to Finland and Poland to mark Japan's diplomatic centennial that scaling down of imperial duties is inevitable.
"We can engage in broader activities if there are more people in the next generation, but if you look at the current situation, I believe it is necessary to examine what to do."
Official duties increased during the reign of Akihito, who actively interacted with the public, including visiting disaster-hit areas to console residents, and became a hugely popular emperor.
But this looks set to reverse as the royal family continues to dwindle in size.
Naruhito's succession left only two younger males in line for the throne, 53-year-old Akishino and his 12-year-old son, Hisahito.
Naruhito's 17-year-old daughter, Aiko, and Akishino's daughters Mako and Kako are not in line to the throne because they are women.
Akishino said he believes royal duties can be shared equally regardless of gender, but declined to comment on whether female emperors should be allowed.
The government earlier considered the possibility of female emperors, but the discussion halted as soon as Hisahito was born.
Surveys have shown that most Japanese support having female emperors, as Aiko has become increasingly popular.
A survey earlier this year, found while over 82 per cent of respondents felt affection for the new emperor of Japan, nearly 80 per cent would support allowing a woman to take the imperial throne.
Additional reporting by PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments