Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi receives the cross-party consensus on legislation to secure the number of Imperial Family members from the Speaker of the Lower House Eisuke Mori and the President of the Upper House Masakazu Sekiguchi at the National Diet building on the afternoon of June 10. (©Sankei/Ataru Haruna)
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A survey conducted on June 13–14 by The Sankei Shimbun and Fuji News Network found stronger support among younger respondents for allowing male-line descendants of former imperial branches to join the Imperial Family through adoption.
A breakdown by age group shows that 63.8% of respondents in their teens and 20s supported the proposal, compared with 34.9% who opposed it.
Among those in their 30s, support stood at 59.0%, against 32.5% opposition. Support was lower among older groups, at 55.3% versus 38.3% among those in their 60s, and 51.5% versus 36.2% among those aged 70 and above.
Overall, 57.7% of respondents supported the proposal, while 34.7% opposed it.
A similar pattern emerged in responses to a question on the status of the husband and children of a female member of the Imperial Family if she retains her imperial status after marrying a commoner.
In all age groups under 70, a majority said the husband and children should not be granted imperial status. Only among respondents aged 70 and above did the largest share support granting imperial status to both.
Succession Debate and Adoption
Taken together, the results suggest that younger generations are more inclined to favor measures aimed at preserving the imperial lineage through the male line, which has remained unbroken for 126 generations up to the present Emperor.
Adoption from former imperial branches could offer a way to safeguard male-line succession beyond Prince Hisahito, currently the youngest male member of the Imperial Family.
Supporters argue that this would help avoid a shift toward a matrilineal line of succession, which could arise if husbands and children of female royals who marry commoners were granted imperial status.
A previous survey conducted in April also asked about adoption from former imperial branches, finding that 58.0% of respondents supported the proposal overall. As in the latest survey, support was stronger among younger age groups.
Some critics argue that respondents may be answering without a clear understanding of the distinction between male-line and female-line succession, suggesting that as public understanding improves, support for male-line succession could decline.
However, between the April survey and the latest poll, Japanese media widely reported on the differences between male-line and female-line succession, as well as broader debates on securing the number of Imperial Family members and ensuring stable succession.
Despite this, levels of support and opposition have remained largely unchanged over the two-month period. Among younger generations, support has risen slightly rather than declined.
Importance of Historical Continuity
Speaking on BS Fuji's Prime News on June 12, former Lower House Speaker Bunmei Ibuki argued that the Imperial House has earned public trust and reassurance precisely because it has consistently followed a principle of male-line succession by seniority, without political intervention.
Ibuki focused in particular on the history of the Imperial House after the Jokyu War of 1221 during the Kamakura period. At that time, the retired Emperor Go-Toba raised an army in an attempt to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate but was defeated by forces led by Hojo Yoshitoki.
He noted that in the centuries that followed, and for nearly 700 years until the Meiji Restoration, the Imperial House functioned not as a "king of power" exercising political authority over taxation and labor, but as a "king of authority," revered as a cultural and symbolic presence in Japanese society.
Ibuki argued that this authority has rested on the continuity of a single male line rather than the incorporation of branches outside the imperial lineage.
He also pointed out that Emperor Meiji’s great-great-grandfather had been adopted from a branch of the Imperial Family, explaining that the current proposal is "nothing unusual in historical terms."
(Read the related article in Japanese.)
Author: Shigeyuki Mizuchi, The Sankei Shimbun
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