This is confusing. The article doesn’t mention why he may be the last, just that there is a debate over changing the succession rules to allow women to be Emperor. The succession line currently ends with Prince Hisahito but he is only 19, so why can’t he have children of his own?
Options include accepting female emperors, picking a new royal family, or becoming a republic. You’re probably right that they’ll go with the female emperor when the time comes.
There have been empresses in the (distant) past, it’s just that now they claim it’s no good. They’ll go back to it they really have no one else. Picking a different family is NOT happening, the Japanese line is the oldest continuous dynasty in the world (mythologically allegedly 2680 years, historically reliably something like 1400~1500 years and possibly 1800). It’s a living treasure of humanity. They’ll give up the system before they pick a new line, and they’ll pick a woman before they give up the system.
Right? Without any specifics, it seems like a pointless thing to write since if the guy does end up having a boy, they could say the same about him, and about anybody else that came before.
I think it’s a statement of how short the line of succession actually is. In a robust royal family there is a whole chain of people who are in line for the throne should something happen. But it seems like the succession rules preclude everyone else living right now. And that’s precarious. Yes he could someday have children, hence the “may” in “may be the last.” The kicker is he could also not and then there would be no contingency.
This is confusing. The article doesn’t mention why he may be the last, just that there is a debate over changing the succession rules to allow women to be Emperor. The succession line currently ends with Prince Hisahito but he is only 19, so why can’t he have children of his own?
He may be the last if he is unable to produce a son.
If they won’t allow women to be emperor, I wonder if sex-selective IVF will be the answer.
It was about six hundred years before we had a queen in England too. I’m sure they’ll just go “fuck it, guess we’re doing empresses now”
It’s not like they actually run anything. It could honestly be a fucking cat and be more popular.
Ok but instead of Emperor Cat I personally vote Neko Shogun as title.
Miku for Empress!
Boudicca, queen of the Icenii, would like to remind you that it was more progressive before the Romans invaded
Options include accepting female emperors, picking a new royal family, or becoming a republic. You’re probably right that they’ll go with the female emperor when the time comes.
There have been empresses in the (distant) past, it’s just that now they claim it’s no good. They’ll go back to it they really have no one else. Picking a different family is NOT happening, the Japanese line is the oldest continuous dynasty in the world (mythologically allegedly 2680 years, historically reliably something like 1400~1500 years and possibly 1800). It’s a living treasure of humanity. They’ll give up the system before they pick a new line, and they’ll pick a woman before they give up the system.
He’s just the country’s mascot character. :D
You could say that about any dynasty that uses male-only inheritance of the title.
Right? Without any specifics, it seems like a pointless thing to write since if the guy does end up having a boy, they could say the same about him, and about anybody else that came before.
I think it’s a statement of how short the line of succession actually is. In a robust royal family there is a whole chain of people who are in line for the throne should something happen. But it seems like the succession rules preclude everyone else living right now. And that’s precarious. Yes he could someday have children, hence the “may” in “may be the last.” The kicker is he could also not and then there would be no contingency.