Crisis in the Japanese Royal Family

I've been following with great interest the looming crisis for Japan's Royal Family. The present situation is very interesting, and in my opinion, a rare occasion when Japan's "traditions" (regarded as bigotry by the progressive Japanese and gaijin alike) are unmasked for all to see.

The Crown Prince, Naruhito, and his wife, Masako (a commoner, as the newspapers are eager to mention), have been unable to have a son. They have a daughter, of course, but that doesn't count in Japan because the monarchy uses the "agnatic primogeniture" system, where only males may succeed to the throne. The stress on Masako has been so severe, she has had a nervous breakdown and is now rarely seen in public. Great-going, Japan. I wonder if they believe it's her fault because she's a commoner, or because she's a woman?

A bill has been presented that will change the line of succession to absolute-equal primogeniture (succession to the eldest child, regardless of gender) but the conservatives and traditionalists will have none of it. This will end 2500 years of male lineage. And it might mean that the Empress will have children with a "blue-eyed foreigner". OH MY GOD!! The ultimate royal horror: racial inter-breeding!

And why is there a need for equality in the royal family line of succession, when there are other alternatives, as the traditionalists suggest. Japan could reinstate the royal credentials of the Royal Family's relatives, stripped after World War II, thereby extending the line of succession. Or the Crown Prince could be "encouraged" to take concubines to produce royal issue. The irony of all this talk of wives failing their royal duty and the necessity to take concubines, is that it's the sperm of the male that determines the gender of the child. So really, Crown Prince Naruhito is to "blame", if this is to be an issue at all.

And there you have it. Hidden deep in this issue is the shameful belief that the Crown Prince, and future Emperor, must be infallible... even though this very issue was supposed to be resolved 60 years ago, being crucial to the peace deal that allowed the monarchy to survive World War II.

Note: since writing this post, it was announced that Prince Akishino's wife, Princess Kiko, is pregnant. Akishino is brother to Crown Prince Naruhito, and the possibility that Kiko may produce male issue has temporarily ended the succession law debate.