The Times reports that the Japanese government is looking into the possiblity that the Crown Prince's daughter will someday reign. Aiko, who turned one on December 1st, is causing quite a controversy.
Japan hasn't had a woman on the throne since 1770 and the Imperial Household Law specifies an Emperor, never an Empress. Personally, I think that's just because MacArthur and his cronies were mysoginists who couldn't even imagine that a woman might be in charge. Let's face it, they had a big influence on the current constitution whether or not anyone actually admits that.
So I suppose Japan's going to have to alter the law to replace "Emperor" with "Emperor or Empress" and "he" with "he or she." It doesn't really seem like it should be that big a deal, but government officials are worried that making any change will rile up the People and they will demand dissolution of the monarchy entirely.
Japan's Imperial family seems pretty mild and is part of the charm of Japan for me. America needs a monarchy. I think I'd make a good monarch--sort of like the Red Queen.
Yeah!! Kristen as a Monarch - I'd support that!!
But America has Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston now...
2 days ago I was waiting for a friend in a JR station out here in Saitama and a lady walked up to me and started a conversation in the normal way: "Where are you from?" But then, instead of telling me how bad her English is but how she loves to talk to foreigners, she told me that (the 1-year-old) Princess Aiko is a criminal and should have some sort of incomprehensible and presumably bad thing done to her through the use of a device resembling a piano with 6 or 7 keys which she had sketched out on a sheet of paper, seemingly while in the midst of a fever dream. I must admit to haing been completely at a loss for words in any language and just standing there staring and saying "etoooo, etooo" until she walked away.