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Tuesday January 24, 10:50 PMLDP's Hosoda concerned about imperial succession rule revision(Kyodo) _ Hiroyuki Hosoda, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Diet Affairs Committee, expressed concern Tuesday over whether the government can smoothly submit a bill to allow females and their descendants to ascend Japan's imperial throne as planned during the ongoing regular Diet session."Arguments against the bill are gathering steam significantly. There is no knowing how the issue would unfold," Hosoda told reporters at the Diet building. Hosoda said such arguments were "largely affected" by recent remarks made by Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, a cousin of Emperor Akihito, criticizing the government panel on imperial succession that proposed allowing females and their descendants to ascend the throne. He was apparently referring to the prince's opinion expressed in monthly magazine Bungei Shunju's February edition published earlier in the month. At the start of the 150-day regular session on Friday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi showed the government's readiness to submit a bill to revise the 1947 Imperial House Law, which limits ascension to the throne to only males who have emperors on their fathers' side. No male heir has been born in Japan's royal family since 1965, stirring concerns over a possible succession crisis. Traditionalists and conservatives have been arguing that Japan should protect the unbroken imperial tradition which they believe has continued for over 2,000 years by passing the throne only to male-line heirs. |
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