On the streets of Nagasaki, the excitement was palpable. Crowds lined the roads, voices rising in a chorus that drowned out even the cheers for Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. The name on everyone’s lips? Princess Aiko. As she celebrated her 24th birthday on December 1, 2025, the Emperor’s only child found herself at the center of a national conversation that could reshape the future of Japan’s ancient monarchy.
For many Japanese, Princess Aiko is more than a figurehead. Since her debut as an adult royal in 2021, she’s captivated the public with her intelligence, warmth, and humor. Her popularity soared even higher after her first solo official trip abroad in November, when she represented the Emperor in Laos, meeting with top officials and engaging with locals during a six-day visit. According to the Associated Press, her admirers say she’s “intelligent, friendly, caring and funny”—qualities that have only strengthened calls for her to become Japan’s first reigning empress in centuries.
But there’s a catch: Japan’s 1947 Imperial House Law only allows male-line succession, barring Aiko from the throne simply because she’s a woman. The law also strips female royals of their status if they marry commoners. With the Imperial Family shrinking to just 16 adult members—down from 30 three decades ago—and only two younger male heirs left (60-year-old Crown Prince Akishino and his 19-year-old son, Prince Hisahito), the monarchy’s future looks increasingly precarious. Prince Hitachi, the 90-year-old brother of former Emperor Akihito, is third in line, underscoring the urgency of the succession crisis.
Experts warn that the royal family is on the brink of extinction. As Nagoya University professor Hideya Kawanishi told the AP, “I think the situation is already critical.” He pointed out that the fate of the world’s oldest monarchy now rests almost entirely on Prince Hisahito and his potential wife’s ability to produce a male heir. “Who wants to marry him? If anyone does, she would endure enormous pressure to produce a male heir while performing official duties at a superhuman capacity.”
This demographic crunch is more than a royal problem—it’s a reflection of Japan’s broader challenges with an aging, shrinking population. The monarchy, which has lasted for 1,500 years, now finds its continuity threatened by the very traditions meant to preserve it. “The fundamental question is not whether to allow a male or female succession line but how to save the monarchy,” said former Imperial Household Agency chief Shingo Haketa, as reported by Yomiuri newspaper.
Public support for Aiko as monarch is strong and growing. During her recent visits to Nagasaki and Okinawa, she was cheered like a pop star, with well-wishers such as 82-year-old atomic bombing survivor Setsuko Matsuo telling the AP, “I have always been rooting for Princess Aiko to be crowned. I like everything about her, especially her smile... so comforting.” Office worker Mari Maehira, 58, echoed the sentiment: “Now we want to see her become a future monarch.”
Advocates for change are becoming increasingly creative and vocal. Cartoonist Yoshinori Kobayashi has penned comic books pushing for legal reforms, which supporters have been mailing to lawmakers to raise awareness. Others have launched YouTube channels, distributed leaflets, and harnessed social media to press their case. Ikuko Yamazaki, a 62-year-old activist, has used digital platforms to argue that “not having Aiko as a successor and the insistence on male-only monarchs will cause the monarchy to die out. The succession system conveys the Japanese mindset regarding gender issues. I expect having a female monarch would dramatically improve women’s status in Japan.”
Even the United Nations has weighed in. In 2024, its women’s rights committee in Geneva urged the Japanese government to allow a female emperor, stating that the current system hinders gender equality. The Japanese government dismissed the recommendation as “regrettable” and “inappropriate,” insisting that imperial succession is a matter of fundamental national identity.
Despite mounting pressure, political resistance remains formidable. Conservative lawmakers, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, oppose any changes to the male-only rule. In 2022, a government-appointed panel recommended maintaining male-line succession but suggested that female royals be allowed to keep their status and continue official duties after marriage. The panel also floated the idea of bringing in male descendants from defunct branches of the royal family—a proposal many see as impractical in modern Japan.
The roots of this controversy run deep. While Japan’s imperial tradition has favored male emperors, history records eight reigning empresses, the last being Gosakuramachi, who ruled from 1762 to 1770. The male-only rule was only codified in 1889 and carried into the postwar era with the 1947 law. Historically, concubines helped maintain the male lineage until about a century ago, but the practice has long since vanished.
The personal toll of this succession debate is evident within the royal family itself. Princess Aiko’s mother, Empress Masako, developed a stress-induced mental condition after Aiko’s birth, reportedly due to criticism for not producing a male heir—a condition from which she is still recovering. Aiko, for her part, has faced her own challenges. As a child, she was a sumo fan who memorized wrestlers’ names, but she also endured bullying in elementary school and health issues as a teenager. Nevertheless, she graduated from Gakushuin University in 2024, participates actively in palace rituals, and works with the Red Cross Society. On weekends, she enjoys walks with her parents and sports with palace staff—volleyball, tennis, and badminton among her favorites.
Throughout the ongoing debate, the Imperial Family has largely remained silent. Crown Prince Akishino has acknowledged the problem, stating, “Nothing can be done under the current system.” He added, “I think all we can do right now is to scale back our official duties.” Princess Aiko herself has been diplomatic, saying she is aware of the declining royal population but “could not comment on the system.” Her focus, she said, is to “sincerely serve every official duty and help the emperor and the empress, as well as other members of the Imperial Family.”
For many, the debate over succession is about more than tradition—it’s about the future of gender equality in Japan. As campaigns for reform intensify, supporters argue that allowing Aiko to ascend the throne would send a powerful message about women’s status in society. “Having a female monarch could substantially enhance the status of women in Japan,” advocates say, as reported by Devdiscourse News Desk.
With the monarchy’s fate hanging in the balance, the question remains: will Japan’s lawmakers heed the call for change, or will centuries of tradition prevail? For now, Princess Aiko continues to win hearts across the nation, her popularity serving as both a symbol of hope and a catalyst for a debate that could redefine Japan’s imperial legacy.
