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TOKYO, Oct 26, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A Japanese government panel has unanimously voted to open the way for female members of the Imperial Family to accede to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
An advisory panel on amendments to the Imperial Household Law is poised to incorporate the proposal in a final report it will publish at the end of November, the Mainichi Shimbun reported.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said the government will submit to the Diet a bill to revise the Imperial Household Law during a regular session that will convene in January.
"I know that it was proposed as an opinion. We are still coordinating views on the matter," Koizumi told reporters Tuesday.
The move would represent a historic change to the imperial system, under which for many years only male members of the Imperial Family have been allowed to ascend to the throne.
However, the panel postponed a decision on whether elder children of an emperor should be given priority to accede to the throne regardless of their gender or whether sons of an emperor should be given priority over daughters regardless of their age.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2005 by United Press International
