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| People watch news of Princess Mako's engagement to Kei Komuro on May 16. She is the eldest granddaughter of Japanese King Akihito. / Yonhap |
By Eom Da-sol
About 70 percent of Japanese citizens think princesses can fill the top royal job, according to the Mainichi Daily on Wednesday.
The newspaper surveyed 1,011 people 18 or older from Apr. 22 to 23. More than half welcomed the idea of a woman reigning. Seventy-two percent of men supported it while 65 percent of women were in favor.
Japanese citizens' endorsement of a queen runs deep. In the paper's surveys in 2005 and 2006, 85 percent and 72 percent of respondents welcomed a queen.
Japan has had a constitutional monarchy since 1947. But the king of Japan has not had any role related to the government since the constitution was revised after World War II (1939-1945).
According to the Japanese constitution, the king is "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." The king appoints the prime minister and the chief justice of the Supreme Court. But the king's role is only ceremonial because parliament actually determines the appointments.
The Japanese imperial dynasty's succession procedure has changed throughout history, becoming less agnatic and based on rotation rather than gender. Until 1870, there had been eight ruling queens whose fathers were from the imperial house.
The system was altered to exclude women in the 1870s due to the influence of Prussia, which emphasized the male-line succession system. The current Imperial Household Law passed, by the Japanese parliament, also rules out women.
The first public debate on whether women should also ascend the throne emerged in 2005 when Crown Prince Naruhito had only one daughter. Then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged to amend the law in 2006. But the discussion ended the next year when the king's second son Prince Akishino had a son.
As King Akihito recently expressed his intention to abdicate soon, which requires revision of the Imperial Household Law, suggestions have been made that the male-line succession system should be reviewed. Public demand for a revision is growing because the beloved Princess Mako, 25, who was recently engaged to graduate school student Kei Komuro, is now expected to be excluded from Japan's royal family.
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has not indicated any moves to amend the succession system to include women.
A Japanese netizen said: "This is needed. There are also some good precedents of ruling queens in Japanese history like Queen Suiko (673-686)." But another in opposition said: "A ruling queen will mess up the entire system."
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