Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Reports on Imperial Law Reform
Overview
On September 14, 2026, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara attended a briefing at the Prime Minister's Office for members of the Expert Meeting on the Supplementary Resolution Concerning the Bill for Special Provisions of the Imperial House Law Concerning the Abdication of the Emperor and Other Matters. The briefing reported the enactment of the Act Partially Amending the Imperial House Law and Other Laws. Following the expert meeting's report, Diet discussions, and the bill's drafting and deliberation, measures were enacted to maintain the line of imperial succession and secure the number of members of the Imperial Family.
Key points
- The Act Partially Amending the Imperial House Law and Other Laws was enacted.
- The policy of ensuring that the line of imperial succession is not disrupted became a central pillar of the legislation.
- Proposals were presented to allow Imperial Princesses and female Imperial Family members holding the rank of Princess to retain their status after marriage, make male-line male descendants belonging to the imperial lineage members of the Imperial Family, and permit adoption as specific measures to secure the number of members of the Imperial Family.
- This was the first full-scale amendment since the Imperial House Law came into force.
Overview
On September 14, 2026, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara attended a briefing at the Prime Minister's Office for members of the Expert Meeting on the Supplementary Resolution Concerning the Bill for Special Provisions of the Imperial House Law Concerning the Abdication of the Emperor and Other Matters.
The meeting reported the enactment of the Act Partially Amending the Imperial House Law and Other Laws. This followed the 2021 report by the expert meeting, the government's report to the Diet in response, and accumulated discussions among the parties and parliamentary groups under the leadership of the Speakers and Vice-Speakers of both houses.
Impact
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara conveyed the government's view that the enactment of the law was the result of thorough deliberation by the 2021 expert meeting.
Details
The expert meeting held 13 discussions in 2021 and reported specific measures to secure the number of members of the Imperial Family after stating that the line of imperial succession through Prince Hisahito must not be disrupted. The government respected the report and submitted reports to the Diet in January 2022 and January of the following year.
For more than two years from May 2024, the plenary meeting was held 10 times in total, and discussions were compiled in June of this year. The central pillars were legislation to allow Imperial Princesses and female Imperial Family members holding the rank of Princess to retain their status after marriage, permit adoption not currently recognized for Imperial Family members, and make male-line male descendants belonging to the imperial lineage members of the Imperial Family.
The government drafted the compiled proposal into a bill, approved it by Cabinet decision, and submitted it to the Diet. The bill was passed by both houses in July of this year, and the law was enacted.