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The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Pro-government newspaper in Japan shocks with ‘radical' support for female emperor
TOKYO (The Straits Times/ANN): The two main conservative media outlets in Japan are waging a battle for public opinion, after the Yomiuri newspaper broached an idea long held to be taboo and one that breaks from right-wing values. 'We should not rule out the possibility of a female emperor, or an emperor through a female line,' the Yomiuri declared in its page one story on May 15, as it unveiled policy proposals on the question of imperial succession. 'If we continue to insist on male descendants in the male line, the survival of the symbolic emperor system will be in jeopardy.' That the influential Yomiuri Shimbun – Japan's largest broadsheet with a daily circulation of 6.2 million copies – was giving policy recommendations is not surprising. Since 1994, it has leveraged its position as the nation's most-read newspaper to drive policy agenda through its proposals. However, what has rippled through Japan's political hallways was how the Yomiuri, often considered to be pro-government for its alignment with the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has embraced a stance that is more in line with the political left. The hawkish Sankei newspaper, with a circulation of under one million, launched a broadside, enlisting commentators who accused the Yomiuri of 'misleading the public' with 'sloppy content'. Its chief editorial writer Satoshi Sakakibara said the Yomiuri was bordering on blasphemy and would lead to 'Japan ceasing to be Japanese'. A Sankei editorial noted that legacy newspapers should not jump on the popular bandwagon and engage in 'knee-jerk politics, by rushing to conclusions based on superficial information without considering the weight of history or responsibility to the future'. The culture war comes as the future of Japan's monarchy – the world's oldest hereditary royal lineage dating to 660BC – is now a hot-button issue in Japan's Parliament, due to the dwindling number of political heirs. Public opinion, however, is firmly in support of a female monarch or an emperor of matrilineal descent. This clashes with conservative hardliners within the LDP, who want to preserve the Chrysanthemum Throne exclusively for male descendants of the male line. This is nothing to do with a gender divide: Among the staunchest flag-bearers for hardline policy is former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, a prime ministerial hopeful who has of late sharpened her criticism of incumbent leader Shigeru Ishiba. Kiyotaka Akasaka, president of the non-profit Nippon Communications Foundation, told The Straits Times that the Yomiuri's proposals are 'radical' given the newspaper's usual position, and come as a 'bombshell to the political right'. The policy ideas might not have been possible if veteran journalist Tsuneo Watanabe, who was Yomiuri's managing editor from 1985 until his death at 98 in 2024, was still alive, Mr Akasaka said. The clash in views, he added, stems from the hardliners' unwavering commitment to traditional values regardless of circumstance and despite the alarming decline of imperial family members. However, he noted: 'It is very difficult to foresee how greatly these proposals will impact the current policy considerations, but they have very much encouraged the political opposition.' There are just three heirs to the Chrysanthemum Throne: Crown Prince Akishino, 59, the Emperor's younger brother; Prince Hisahito, the 18-year-old son of the Crown Prince; and finally, Prince Hitachi, 89, the siblings' uncle. This is the stark reality: If Prince Hisahito chooses not to get married, or does not produce a male child, there would be nobody to succeed the throne. Already, there has been pushback. In contrast to his grandfather, the late wartime emperor Hirohito, who was revered as a deity until Japan lost the war, Crown Prince Akishino said at a news conference in 2024 that politicians should not lose sight of how the royals who are affected by policy are 'real live human beings'. There are now five unmarried women in the 16-member imperial household, including Princess Aiko, who is 23 years old and the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. While commoner women marry into the imperial family, like Empress Masako, princesses who are born in the family lose their royal identity and become commoners themselves when they wed commoners. The latest to leave the family is Crown Prince Akishino's daughter Mako, 33, who married her college sweetheart in 2021. The couple promptly relocated to the United States and have not returned to Japan since. On May 30, the Imperial Household Agency said the couple had given birth to their first child, without revealing the gender. As a solution to the dwindling numbers, the Yomiuri Shimbun suggests allowing princesses to keep their royal status after marriage, with their husbands and children entering the imperial household. Traditionalists agree that princesses should remain as royals and continue official duties after marriage. But they draw the line at admitting their spouses and children into the family, arguing that this could result in a matrilineal emperor and taint the royal bloodline. They note that while there have been eight female emperors, they were all unmarried and patrilineal heirs. There has never been a matrilineal emperor. The Yomiuri, however, believes that the idea of 'one family, two statuses' is unrealistic. As commoners, the spouses and children would be free to express their opinions that could impugn the imperial family's 'political neutrality and dignity'. It further points to how the unbroken bloodline, across millennia, had been sustained by concubines, with 55 illegitimate children having become emperors. Meanwhile, traditionalists also favour bringing back members of 11 former branches of the imperial family that were disbanded after World War II, through 'adoption'. It is said that there are at least 10 unmarried male descendants in their 20s or younger among these branches. But the idea has very little traction among the public. Eighty years have passed since the war, and members of these branch families would have grown accustomed to life as commoners, outside the public eye and rigid rules of the imperial household. Kanda University of International Studies lecturer Jeffrey Hall told ST that this plan would 'raise questions about the human rights of the individuals involved', noting that the Yomiuri sees this as 'a more unreliable and unpredictable solution that could dilute public support for the monarchy'. Dr Hall noted that the monarchy is not a major issue for moderate or centre-right voters, although there is a 'very vocal minority' of extreme conservatives who prefer the Sankei to the Yomiuri for 'more consistently taking their side on culture war issues'. While they are not the majority of LDP voters, the party would have difficulty winning elections without their support, he said. 'To many Japanese, the insistence on male-only succession seems to clash with the concepts of gender equality and women's rights,' Dr Hall said. 'But die-hard conservatives will do almost anything to protect what they see as one of their nation's most sacred traditions.' - The Straits Times/ANN
Japan Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Conservative heavyweights join forces in LDP panel on Indo-Pacific
A revamp of a quiescent Liberal Democratic Party task force on Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy on Wednesday served as a golden opportunity to bring together some of the conservative voices most critical of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's conduct. The task force will provide an opportunity for lawmakers to deepen their understanding of Japan's diplomatic strategy and its role in the region, former Prime Minister Taro Aso, who serves as the head of the panel, said in initial remarks. 'The environment around us has changed dramatically from a time of peace to a time of seeming emergency,' said Aso, currently serving as a chief adviser of the LDP. 'Amid all the changes we are witnessing in the world, I believe Japan needs to have a grand strategy indicating what it must do in the future,' he continued. The panel will act as a transverse framework dedicated to Japan's 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' strategy, which has become the grand design behind Japan's diplomatic posture since the administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. On Wednesday, former national security adviser Takeo Akiba, who's currently serving as a senior adviser to the Ishiba Cabinet, provided an outlook on the origin of the framework. Sitting close to Aso was former economic security minister, Sanae Takaichi, the party's policy chief back when the panel was established in 2021. Takaichi, who embodies the hopes of the LDP's conservative wing, was assigned a senior role on the panel. Liberal Democratic Party chief adviser Taro Aso speaks at a party panel for a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" on Wednesday. | GABRIELE NINIVAGGI Takaichi received Aso's backing in the runoff vote of last September's presidential election, which she lost to Ishiba. At a time of low approval ratings for the government and falling clout for the party's factions, the leadership lineup of the panel has prompted speculation it could serve as an occasion to coalesce support against the government in the upcoming months. An LDP defeat in the July Upper House election would trigger a political crisis and could force Ishiba out. However, at this stage, whether momentum to oust Ishiba will actually pick up in the upcoming weeks is unclear. Though his fraught relationship with Ishiba is well known, Aso has avoided any direct criticism of the prime minister. Takaichi, however, has been among the most outspoken censurers of the administration, though the tone has been relatively calm. 'I felt let down when I heard Ishiba's remarks in parliament on Monday,' Takaichi told a YouTube channel called Toranomon News on Tuesday, criticizing Ishiba's hesitation toward implementing a consumption tax cut. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Takaichi underscored the necessity of building on the diplomatic legacy left by Abe and asserting a clear vision in the diplomatic arena. Takayuki Kobayashi, another candidate in September's presidential election, was also included in the leadership, although he didn't attend Wednesday's meeting. He's also been a vocal critic of Ishiba. Other attendees of the panel included former trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and former LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda, both leading members of the faction once led by Abe, as well as former Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi. The LDP said a total of 57 lawmakers took part in the meeting.
13-05-2025
- Politics
Japan LDP Panel Calls for Law to Combat Espionage
News from Japan Politics May 13, 2025 19:38 (JST) Tokyo, May 13 (Jiji Press)--A panel of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party presented Tuesday a draft proposal on strengthening the country's public security, including the possible introduction of a law to counter espionage. The LDP's research commission on public safety and measures against terrorism and cybercrime, chaired by former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, plans to submit the proposal to Prime Minister and LDP President Shigeru Ishiba soon, so that it can be reflected in the party's platform for this summer's House of Councillors election. The draft proposal said that "an increasing number of people feel that security has deteriorated, and threats from abroad are becoming a problem." "Consideration should be given to the introduction of a national intelligence strategy and a law against espionage similar to those of other countries," it continued. At the day's meeting of the commission, many LDP lawmakers expressed support for the proposal. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
25-04-2025
- Business
LDP's Takaichi to Visit Taiwan from Sun.
News from Japan Politics Apr 25, 2025 18:35 (JST) Tokyo, April 25 (Jiji Press)--Former Japanese economic security minister Sanae Takaichi of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will visit Taiwan for three days from Sunday to meet with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and former President Tsai Ing-wen, informed sources said Friday. They are expected to exchange views on Japan-Taiwan relations and economic security. Takaichi will also attend an event hosted by a local private organization that promotes exchanges between Japan and Taiwan, according to Taiwan's foreign ministry. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
