Japan currently has the longest running monarchy of any country in the world. At the same time, it is a monarchy that only allows men to ascend to the throne. Japan’s rules of succession in the royal family stipulate that the oldest direct male descendant of the reigning emperor is next in line to inherit the throne.

At one time in Japan’s history, women were allowed to become emperor regnant and have all of the powers of a male emperor, should no male heirs to the throne be alive.

In all, there were a total of eight empresses who ruled Japan. This practice was changed in the late 19th century during the beginning of the Meiji Restoration period.

There is a possible crisis looming, since no male has been born into the royal family since 1965. As of today, all of the grandchildren of current Emperor Akihito are female, meaning that after all the surviving male members of the family die, there will be no one to take the Japanese throne.

This has prompted the government to consider other options, the most practical being a law allowing women to become empress regnant. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi proposed last month in his annual keynote address that a bill should be passed allowing women to ascend to the throne.

While there is widespread support in the country for such a measure being passed, there is strong opposition from conservatives, mainly for symbolic reasons that provide for a sense of unity.

The future of the bill has been put in doubt with news this week of the emperor’s daughter-in-law, Princess Aiko, announcing that she is to give birth to another child. It is too early to tell what the sex of the child will be, but if it turns out that the child will be male, it will end the debate over female succession for at least the next several decades, in my opinion.This was also evidenced yesterday as Prime Minister Koizumi hinted that he may not have to send the bill through parliament if it turns out Princess Kiko is to have a son. I think this issue should not be delayed anymore and should be resolved by the end of the year.

Putting off any legislation over female succession will only serve to put a bandage on an issue that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Like most bandages, it will wear off eventually and will need to be dealt with once more. Once public support is solidified for an issue, even those in monarchies dealing with royalty, it is hard to push back the tide of public demand. This is best seen with various republican movements in some British Commonwealth realms, such as Australia and Jamaica, where there is strong support among the public and lawmakers for replacing the current system of a having the queen as head of state with a president acting as head of state under a republican system.

It is my personal opinion that even if Princess Kiko gives birth to a son, some provision must eventually be made in which women can ascend to the throne again, ensuring the continuation of a bloodline that, according to legend, goes back at least 2,600 years. At the same time, it will also ensure that the sincere wishes of the people are being met at the same time.

Shaun Wyche is a senior political science major. He may be contacted at [email protected].