TOKYO: Some in the Japanese government call for female members of the Imperial Family to be allowed to maintain their status as family members after marriage by heading family branches, according to informed sources.

They instead want to defer discussions on whether to allow women or their descendants to ascend the throne.

The government plans to start talks on the issues as early as soon after the "Daijosai" thanksgiving ritual performed by Emperor Naruhito on Nov. 14-15, the sources said.

Under a supplementary parliamentary resolution of the special law enacted in 2017 to allow then Emperor Akihito to abdicate, the Japanese government was requested to consider challenges for ensuring stable Imperial succession and make a report to parliament.

The government plans to hear opinions from experts after the end of a series of ceremonies for Emperor Naruhito's enthronement.

The main focus of the discussions is whether to allow women or heirs in the maternal line of the Imperial Family to assume the throne, in line with a proposal put forward in 2005 by an expert panel commissioned by the government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Conservatives strongly oppose the idea, sticking to the current rule of allowing only male offspring in the Imperial Family's paternal line to assume the throne. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his opposition to the proposal.

Many in the government are also cautious about the 2005 proposal.

Currently, there are only three heirs to the throne. Crown Prince Akishino, 53, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, is first in line to the throne, followed by Prince Hisahito, 13, the Crown Prince's only son, and Prince Hitachi, the 83-year-old uncle of the Emperor.

A decision on the succession issue can wait 30 to 40 years, a senior government official said.

Under the Imperial House Law, female members of the Imperial Family need to leave the family once they marry commoners. As the family currently consists mostly of women, there are concerns over a sharp drop in the number of Imperial Family members in the future.

Reflecting the worries, some in the government calls for allowing female members to be allowed in remain in the family even after marriage.

A government official said permitting female branches should be an option since the measure is different from the idea of allowing women or their descendants to take the throne.

Conservatives, however, disagree with the female branch proposal.

The government also plans to look at restoring Imperial Family status for those who left the family in 1947 after the end of World War II, according to the sources.

JIJI Press