Japan panel recommends no change to male-only emperor system

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A government panel has retained Japan’s male-only imperial succession system despite a sharply shrinking number of men in the royal family. The panel submitted a report to the prime minister proposing ways to ensure there are enough potential successors. It proposed adopting single men from some of the 11 now-defunct royal households as potential heirs and allowing female royals to retain their status after marrying commoners. Both options would require a revision of the 1947 Imperial House Law, which largely preserves pre-World War II values. With the practice of royal concubines now abandoned, the size of the imperial family has declined to 17 and Emperor Naruhito has only two possible successors.