The queen who made tradition modern
Ma Young-sam
The Japanese parliament’s recent decision to continue barring women from the throne stands in stark contrast to what has happened in the West. Europe offers several remarkable examples of women as monarchs. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who abdicated in 2024 after 52 years on the throne, is one of them.
To many Danes, Margrethe was more than a monarch. She was a motherly figure who shared their joys and sorrows. Stories are still told of the Queen riding her bicycle through Copenhagen or casually stopping by local shops. It was not royal splendor but her simplicity and accessibility that endeared her to the public.
When she ascended the throne in 1972, support for the monarchy stood at around 40 percent. Over the decades, it has risen dramatically to around 80 percent. Her reign demonstrated that even in a mature democracy, a monarchy can remain relevant if it earns the trust and affection of its citizens.
Margrethe respected royal tradition but also understood that it must adapt to changing times. She accepted marriages between royals and commoners and supported efforts to keep royal spending under control.
During her reign, every Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. Danish families gathered around their televisions to hear the Queen’s New Year address before sitting down to dinner. Margrethe took a personal role in preparing her speeches, addressing issues ranging from the environment and social solidarity to terrorism and the plight of vulnerable people. She spoke not as a distant sovereign but as someone who shared the concerns of ordinary citizens.
While serving as South Korea's ambassador to Denmark, I was honored to have an audience with Queen Margrethe in 2014. I reminded her of her maternal grandfather's visit to Korea.
In 1926, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, later King Gustaf VI Adolf, visited Korea and participated in the excavation of an ancient Silla tomb in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The tomb became known as Seobongchong, meaning “Swedish Phoenix Tomb”due to the prince's participation and the discovery of a magnificent gold crown decorated with phoenixes in the tomb itself.
I showed Queen Margrethe several photographs of her grandfather taken in Gyeongju nearly a century ago. Her face immediately brightened. Smiling warmly, she began sharing her fond memories of him. For a moment, the formality of a royal audience disappeared. What remained was simply a granddaughter remembering her grandfather.
At the same time, at Europe’s western edge stood another remarkable monarch: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
During her extraordinary 70-year reign, 15 British prime ministers came and went, yet she remained a reassuring symbol of continuity. During World War II, at age 18, she joined the military. On her 21st birthday, she famously pledged to devote her life, whether long or short, to the service of her people. She kept that promise.
Elizabeth was also one of Britain’s most effective practitioners of public diplomacy. During her 1999 visit to Korea, she went to Andong’s Hahoe Village and celebrated her birthday in a traditional Korean setting. Her warmth and genuine curiosity left a lasting impression on Koreans.
She also became a unifying figure for the Commonwealth, bringing together 56 nations with widely different histories and cultures. Even some critics of the monarchy were reluctant to challenge the institution while she was alive. Such respect was not created by constitutional provisions. It was earned through a lifetime of service.
Across the sea in Japan, imperial succession has generated a different debate.
One side emphasizes preserving the traditional male line. The other argues that the system should evolve with changing social expectations. The Diet recently adopted a proposal to allow male descendants of a distant branch of the imperial family to succeed to the throne through adoption, while female succession remains excluded.
The issue is deeply intertwined with Japanese history, tradition and their constitution. It is certainly not for outsiders to dictate an answer, yet Japanese public opinion is worth noting.
Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, enjoys considerable public affection. After graduating from Gakushuin University, she began working for the Japanese Red Cross Society. Her modest demeanor and commitment to public service have given the imperial family a warm and appealing image. Opinion surveys have repeatedly shown broad public support for allowing women to ascend the throne.
Japan itself offers ample evidence of women’s leadership. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the country’s first female prime minister, symbolizes the expanding role of women at the highest levels. Another outstanding example was Sadako Ogata, the former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Confronted with humanitarian crises that did not always fit neatly within existing rules, she consistently placed human dignity and the protection of vulnerable people at the heart of her decisions.
History also tells us something important about Japan: When confronted with profound change, the country has often demonstrated a remarkable capacity for flexibility and adaptation.
Commodore Matthew Perry’s arrival in 1853 forced Japan to confront a rapidly changing world. Yet the transformation that followed was ultimately Japan’s own. Through the Meiji Restoration, Japan modernized with remarkable speed. It succeeded not by abandoning tradition, but by distinguishing between what should be preserved and what needed to change. That balance became one of modern Japan’s greatest strengths.
Denmark and Britain offer a similar lesson. Their monarchies endured not because they remained frozen in the past, but because they learned to move with their societies without surrendering their essential traditions. A monarchy is more than a guardian of history. At its best, it can unite a nation, embody its dignity and provide a reassuring sense of continuity in times of change.
Laws can preserve the institution of monarchy, but they cannot command the affection of the people. That affection must be earned anew in every generation by understanding the times, listening to society and walking alongside the people.
Japan’s debate over royal succession ultimately belongs to the Japanese people, and whatever decision they reach deserves respect. Japan has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to preserve tradition while adapting wisely to new realities. It will be worth watching to see whether it can once again find a path that brings historical continuity and the wishes of its people into harmony.
Ma Young-sam is a research fellow at Asiatic Research Institute of Korea University. He is South Korea’s former ambassador to Israel and representative to Palestine. He also served as South Korea's ambassador to Denmark.