Japan’s oldest institution is confronting a very modern dilemma. With laws that allow only men to inherit the throne, the Imperial Family now rests its future on a single young heir, Prince Hisahito, placing extraordinary personal and political pressure on one individual. In this episode, we explore how a rigid male-only succession has created a looming crisis, why most Japanese voters favor allowing women to rule, and why conservatives remain determined to preserve tradition at almost any cost. As proposals range from reviving long-extinct royal branches to rewriting imperial law, the story reveals a monarchy caught between historical purity and survival—where the question is no longer symbolic, but existential.

https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/09/18/a-rare-ceremony-revives-debate-over-imperial-succession