Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Click here to stay in the loop about my 2027 Historic tour in Japan! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeB8GRzOQnyo9oLtYaGFx07qBKVBK79P8P-KwKvdV2aBpuVQw/viewform
In July 2026 Japan’s parliament changed the Imperial succession laws. There were two amendments;
1. Women are now allowed to remain in the Imperial family after marrying commoners, and
2. The imperial family can now adopt distant male relatives from 11 former Imperial branches which were barred from the succession after WWII.
These changes come amid growing concerns about the dwindling size of the Imperial family. However, despite polls showing 80% of Japanese people are in favor of a reigning Empress, women continue to be bared from inheriting the Chrysanthemum throne.
The current Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako have only one child, Princess Aiko. Masako, a Harvard-educated diplomat was under immense pressure to produce a male heir. In 1999 she suffered a miscarriage and developed a stress-induced mental condition. From the moment the birth of their daughter was announced in 2001, the public began calling for a change to the succession. And support for Aiko someday become Empress has grown alongside her. In 2005 a government-appointed panel of experts recommended that the imperial succession be amended to absolute primogeniture, or the eldest child, regardless of gender, inherits the throne. In 2006 the Prime Minister promised to introduce a bill to change the law. However, that year Naruhito’s younger brother, Prince Fumihito welcomed his third child. Prince Hisahito was the first male born in to the Imperial family in 41 years. His birth set the succession issue aside, in the government’s eyes, if not the peoples’. Currently Fumihito and Hisahito are Crown Prince and second in line to the throne, respectively.
So why is the imperial household agency so set on keeping women off the throne? The law barring women is relatively new. The succession was codified as agnatic primogeniture (male-line descendants only) by the Imperial House Law of 1889. This was during the Meiji Restoration, a time of westernization and massive overhaul of the political system, and society writ large. Prior to this, Imperial succession was only loosely based on the tradition of male seniority. The Emperor could name any member of his family as heir. And as Emperors practiced polygamy until the Meji era, there were usually plenty of sons to choose from. Though some emperors chose to nominate their brothers, or even their daughters. There have been 12 female rulers in Japanese history. Conservative scholars argue that these reigning empresses were merely stop-gaps who ruled only until male members of the Imperial family were able to take power. Therefore, they assert the male-only succession must be maintained in the 21st century. However, as we will soon discover, these female monarchs often ruled Japan on their own account. And in one case, an Empress handed power not to a son, but to a daughter. Many achieved great things for their nation, and though history has long tried to downplay them, they set a precedence for Empresses ruling Japan. Let’s meet them...
Queens of Yamatai
Himiko 189 – 248 CE
Toyo, 3rd Century CE
Empresses of Japan
Jingū 201–269
Iitoyo 440 – 485
Suiko 593 – 628
Kōgyoku 642 – 645
Jitō 686 – 697
Genmei 707 – 715
Genshō 715 – 724
Kōken 749–758 & 764 – 770
Meishō 1629 – 1643
Go-Sakuramachi 1762 – 1771
Please consider supporting me at patreon.com/LindsayHoliday
Check out the History Tea Time Podcast:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7iW8gOI5wb5TNFAIhBd9Om?si=46aeeacd64214ac0
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-tea-time/id1619978406
Music: Lau Tzh Ehru by Doug Maxwell
For business inquiries, please contact LindsayHoliday@fixated.com
Click here to stay in the loop about my 2027 Historic tour in Japan! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeB8GRzOQnyo9oLtYaGFx07qBKVBK79P8P-KwKvdV2aBpuVQw/viewform
In July 2026 Japan’s parliament changed the Imperial succession laws. There were two amendments;
1. Women are now allowed to remain in the Imperial family after marrying commoners, and
2. The imperial family can now adopt distant male relatives from 11 former Imperial branches which were barred from the succession after WWII.
These changes come amid growing concerns about the dwindling size of the Imperial family. However, despite polls showing 80% of Japanese people are in favor of a reigning Empress, women continue to be bared from inheriting the Chrysanthemum throne.
The current Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako have only one child, Princess Aiko. Masako, a Harvard-educated diplomat was under immense pressure to produce a male heir. In 1999 she suffered a miscarriage and developed a stress-induced mental condition. From the moment the birth of their daughter was announced in 2001, the public began calling for a change to the succession. And support for Aiko someday become Empress has grown alongside her. In 2005 a government-appointed panel of experts recommended that the imperial succession be amended to absolute primogeniture, or the eldest child, regardless of gender, inherits the throne. In 2006 the Prime Minister promised to introduce a bill to change the law. However, that year Naruhito’s younger brother, Prince Fumihito welcomed his third child. Prince Hisahito was the first male born in to the Imperial family in 41 years. His birth set the succession issue aside, in the government’s eyes, if not the peoples’. Currently Fumihito and Hisahito are Crown Prince and second in line to the throne, respectively.
So why is the imperial household agency so set on keeping women off the throne? The law barring women is relatively new. The succession was codified as agnatic primogeniture (male-line descendants only) by the Imperial House Law of 1889. This was during the Meiji Restoration, a time of westernization and massive overhaul of the political system, and society writ large. Prior to this, Imperial succession was only loosely based on the tradition of male seniority. The Emperor could name any member of his family as heir. And as Emperors practiced polygamy until the Meji era, there were usually plenty of sons to choose from. Though some emperors chose to nominate their brothers, or even their daughters. There have been 12 female rulers in Japanese history. Conservative scholars argue that these reigning empresses were merely stop-gaps who ruled only until male members of the Imperial family were able to take power. Therefore, they assert the male-only succession must be maintained in the 21st century. However, as we will soon discover, these female monarchs often ruled Japan on their own account. And in one case, an Empress handed power not to a son, but to a daughter. Many achieved great things for their nation, and though history has long tried to downplay them, they set a precedence for Empresses ruling Japan. Let’s meet them...
Queens of Yamatai
Himiko 189 – 248 CE
Toyo, 3rd Century CE
Empresses of Japan
Jingū 201–269
Iitoyo 440 – 485
Suiko 593 – 628
Kōgyoku 642 – 645
Jitō 686 – 697
Genmei 707 – 715
Genshō 715 – 724
Kōken 749–758 & 764 – 770
Meishō 1629 – 1643
Go-Sakuramachi 1762 – 1771
Please consider supporting me at patreon.com/LindsayHoliday
Check out the History Tea Time Podcast:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7iW8gOI5wb5TNFAIhBd9Om?si=46aeeacd64214ac0
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-tea-time/id1619978406
Music: Lau Tzh Ehru by Doug Maxwell
For business inquiries, please contact LindsayHoliday@fixated.com
