Japan's parliament has approved a historic amendment to the Imperial House Law, preserving the country's male-only imperial succession system while introducing measures aimed at securing the future of the imperial family.
The reforms allow the adoption of distant male relatives to help maintain the imperial lineage and permit princesses to retain their royal status after marrying commoners.
Under Japan's succession rules, only men from the paternal imperial line are eligible to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Despite widespread public support for 24-year-old Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, she remains ineligible to succeed her father because she is female.
As a result, Prince Hisahito, the emperor's teenage nephew and second in line to the throne, is expected to become Japan's future emperor under the current succession law.
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