TMCnet News
Princess' pregnancy likely to affect female monarch debate: experts+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, Feb. 7_(Kyodo) _ Experts and commentators reacted with various opinions Tuesday to the news of Princess Kiko's pregnancy, but agreed it will likely affect public opinion and delay discussions on whether Japan should allow females and their descendants to ascend the throne. "If a boy is born, he will be a direct descendant of the emperor's and public opinion may change," said writer Naoki Inose. "This (the pregnancy) was something unexpected and it is better to discuss a revision of the Imperial Household Law after the baby is born." "It is unnecessary to rush through an enactment of the revision bill during the current parliament session," Inose said, adding that if a boy is born it may help relieve Crown Princess Masako from the pressure of not having produced a male heir. Crown Princess Masako is recuperating from a stress-induced illness. She and her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, have a 4-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko. Meanwhile, broadcasting producer and commentator Dave Spector said, "This is a piece of happy news but one must pay attention to how the princess' pregnancy will affect the discussions at a time when the parliament and the media are finally actively and openly debating the issue of accepting female monarchs." "It will be interesting to see how Princess Kiko's pregnancy with her third child will influence Crown Princess Masako's position in the imperial family and the condition of her illness," Spector said. Princess Kiko and her husband, Prince Akishino, who is the emperor's second son, have two daughters, Princess Mako, 14, and Princes Kako, 11. The current Imperial Household Law only allows male heirs with the emperor on their fathers' side to ascend the throne. But no male heir has been born to the imperial family since Prince Akishino's birth in 1965. In light of concerns over a succession crisis in the imperial family, where only male heirs with the emperor on their fathers' side can ascend the throne under the current Imperial Household Law, the government has planned to have the current Diet session pass a revision bill to allow female accession. |