TOKYO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan's parliament enacted a bill on Friday to revise the Imperial House Law to address the issue of the shrinking royal family, marking the first substantive change to the law since its establishment in 1947.
The revised law, passed at a plenary session of the House of Councillors, includes measures to ensure a sufficient number of Imperial family members, allowing the Imperial family to adopt male paternal-line descendants of the 11 former Imperial branches, which lost their Imperial family status in 1947.
The 1947 Imperial House Law took effect while the country was under U.S. occupation following World War II. Back then, 51 members of 11 collateral branches of the imperial family "voluntarily" relinquished their status and became commoners.
The latest legal change paved the way for unmarried male descendants of the 11 former branch families that lost their royal status decades ago to join the current 16-member imperial family.
The revision also allows female members of the Imperial Family to retain their imperial status even after marrying commoners. However, their spouses or children will be unable to join the imperial family and will remain commoners.
Meanwhile, the amendment emphasized "male-line succession," a principle advocated by the government and the ruling parties, sidestepping the most divisive issue of whether women should be allowed to inherit the throne. ■