Japan's princess sparks calls to change succession law

Japan's beloved Princess Aiko is often cheered like a pop star.

During a visit to Nagasaki with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, the sound of her name being screamed by well-wishers along the roads overwhelmed the cheers for her parents.

As she turns 24 on Monday, her supporters want to change Japan's male-only succession law, which prohibits the emperor's only child, from becoming monarch.

Along with frustration that the discussion on succession rules has stalled, there's a sense of urgency.

Japan's shrinking monarchy is on the brink of extinction. Naruhito's teenage nephew is the only eligible heir from the younger generation.

Experts say the female ban should be lifted before the royal family dies out, but conservative lawmakers, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, oppose the change.

Aiko has gained admirers since debuting as an adult royal in 2021, when she impressed the public as intelligent, friendly, caring and funny.

Support for Aiko as a future monarch increased following her first solo official overseas trip to Laos in November, representing the emperor.

During the six-day visit, she met with top Laotian officials, visited cultural and historical venues and met with locals.

The princess' popularity has triggered some to pressure legislators to change the law.

Cartoonist Yoshinori Kobayashi has written comic books that push for a legal change to allow Aiko to become monarch, which supporters keep sending to parliamentarians to raise awareness and get their backing for the cause.

Others have set up YouTube channels and distributed leaflets to gain public attention on the issue.

Soon after giving birth to Aiko, her mother Masako developed a stress-induced mental condition, apparently due to criticism for not producing a male heir, from which she is still recovering.

In 2024, Aiko graduated from Gakushuin University, where her father and many other royals studied.

She has since participated in her official duties and palace rituals while also working at the Red Cross Society.

The 1947 Imperial House Law only allows male-line succession and forces female royals who marry commoners to lose their royal status.

The rapidly dwindling Imperial Family has 16 members, down from 30 three decades ago. All are adults.

Naruhito has only two potential younger male heirs, his 60-year-old younger brother, Crown Prince Akishino, and Akishino's 19-year-old son, Prince Hisahito. Prince Hitachi, former Emperor Akihito's younger brother and third in line to the throne, is 90.

Akishino acknowledged the aging and shrinking royal population, "but nothing can be done under the current system".

The shortage of male successors is a serious worry for the monarchy, which has lasted for 1500 years.

It's also a reflection of Japan's broader problem of a rapidly aging and shrinking population.

The UN women's rights committee in Geneva urged the Japanese government last year to allow a female emperor, saying that not doing so hindered gender equality in Japan.

Japan dismissed the report as "regrettable" and "inappropriate", saying the imperial succession is a matter of fundamental national identity.