A cartoonist takes Japan’s new imperial succession law to court over male-only heirs

TOKYO (AP) — A popular Japanese cartoonist who has written books on history and monarchy has sued the government over a revised imperial succession law allowing royals to adopt male relatives from former branch families to father future heirs.

The revised law took effect Saturday despite criticism over the male-only succession rules in Japan's 1,500-year-old monarchy. Next in line after Emperor Naruhito is his younger brother Akishino , followed by his 20-year-old nephew, Prince Hisahito . There are no other eligible heirs in his generation.

The revised law allows adoption of unmarried male descendants, aged 15 or older, of distant imperial relatives, but only through an unbroken male line, into a branch of the royal family.

Four of the 11 former branch families who renounced their royal status in 1947 remain. Officials say they are at least 36 generations removed from Naruhito after splitting from a common male-line ancestor 600 years ago. Critics say they are too distant to be considered relatives.

In his lawsuit, Yoshinori Kobayashi says the adoption of former royals, who are commoners, discriminates against other commoners in violation of the Article 14 of the constitution, which guarantees equality regardless of “race, creed, sex, social status or family origin.”

"The adoption would introduce a new class system of ‘former imperial branch family’ in Japan. ... It's a serious problem," Kobayashi told reporters after filing the lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court, a first legal step against the revised law. No trial date has been set.

He said the adoption system undermines “the fundamental value of the constitution ... and changes the monarchy into something completely different.”

The law lets princesses to retain their royal status and continue with their official duties after marrying commoners, but does not confer royal status on their husbands and children. It effectively eliminates a chance for Japan’s beloved Princess Aiko to succeed her father, Naruhito .

Kobayashi calls it the “Aiko-sama exclusion law.”

The male-only succession policy was pushed by the conservative government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi , who has said only the paternal bloodline gives authority and legitimacy to the emperor.

Legal experts, including those on a government panel on the imperial succession, have also raised concerns over the constitutionality of the adoption system.

Kobayashi's lawyer, Rintaro Kuramochi, said winning the case would be difficult, but there was no other way to raise the issue in Japan, where there is no constitutional court and little hope for the law to be rectified by the current government.

In the lawsuit, Kobayashi also demanded damages of 1 million yen ($6,350) for psychological suffering to the manga artist whose works are based on his love of Japan's monarchy, equal rights and other democratic values.

Japan has had eight female monarchs. The paternal-line male succession was introduced for the first time in the 1890 Imperial House Law, when Japan promoted patriarchal systems of male superiority.