Japan Relaxes Royal Succession Rules But Ban on Female Emperors Remains The Japanese parliament's recent approval of a bill to relax imperial succession rules has been hailed as a significant step towards modernizing the country's monarchy.
However, despite these reforms, one major obstacle remains: the ban on female emperors. Public opinion strongly supports a female monarch in Japan.
According to opinion polls, more than 70% of respondents surveyed by Mainichi Shimbun in June supported having a woman on the throne, while an even higher percentage – 83% – favored allowing a woman to succeed the emperor according to Kyodo News.