Japan changes royal rules but sidesteps female succession: 5 things to know

PoliticsHistoric overhaul expands imperial family but women still barred from throneJapan's Princess Aiko, daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, attends the Spring Imperial Garden Party at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo, on April 17. © ReutersSHOTARO TANIJuly 17, 2026 11:56 JSTTOKYO -- Japan's parliament on Friday approved the first substantive overhaul of the law governing the nation's imperial family in 79 years, seeking to halt the decline of the world's oldest hereditary monarchy, whose lineage is said to stretch back 2,600 years.