Japan’s parliament on Friday approved changes to the country’s imperial succession law, introducing measures aimed at preserving the shrinking imperial family but preventing women from inheriting the Chrysanthemum Throne despite strong public support for such a change.The law, passed by an overwhelming majority in the upper house, allows unmarried male descendants of former royal branch families to be adopted back into the royal house. It allows female members of the royal family to retain their royal status even after marrying commoners, a privilege previously only available to male royals.However, the amended law leaves unchanged the central provision of the 1947 Imperial Household Law, which allows only men in the male line to become emperor.The issue has become even more acute because Japan’s imperial family has very few male heirs. The future of the monarchy currently rests on Prince Hisahito, Emperor Naruhito’s 19-year-old nephew and the only young male eligible to inherit the throne.If Prince Hisahito does not have a son, existing succession rules would leave Japan without a future heir, raising concerns about the long-term survival of the imperial lineage.The law also means Emperor Naruhito’s 24-year-old daughter Princess Aiko and Prince Hisahito’s two older sisters are barred from succeeding to the throne despite their imperial lineage.The law was approved after lengthy discussion within the ruling conservative party led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which has opposed allowing female succession.Not everyone in the ruling camp supported that position. Seiichiro Murakami, a senior leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, criticized the ban after the bill was approved in the lower house on July 10, calling it “completely outrageous” that Princess Aiko could not be considered for the throne.The proposal to bring back distant male relatives has also been criticized by former members of Japan’s imperial family. Former imperial Asahiro Kuni, whose family left the imperial register after World War II, questioned whether such a move was practical.“By the age of 15, a person has grown up breathing the air of freedom,” Kuni told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.“I think it will be hard to adapt to life in the royal family.”He said, “There may be people who want to join the royal family, but if they understood the difficulties of life as a royal member, they probably wouldn’t say such a thing.”Japan’s imperial family currently has 16 members, including only five men. They are retired Emperor Akihito, his younger brother, Emperor Naruhito, Naruhito’s younger brother, and Prince Hisahito.However, public opinion appears to be in favor of reform. An Asahi Shimbun poll conducted in May found that 72 percent of respondents supported a change in the law to allow women to ascend the throne.