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The Japan ese monarchy is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. The imperial household recognizes one hundred and twenty-five legitimate monarchs since the accession of Emperor Jimmu (traditionally dated to February 11 , 660 BCE ), including the reigning emperor, Akihito . Most historians regard the first fourteen emperors ( Emperor Jimmu to Emperor Chuai ) as legendary figures. CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY The 1947 Imperial Household Law defines the imperial household as: the empress (''kōgō'' 皇后), the empress dowager (''kōtaigō'' 皇太后), the grand empress dowager (''tai-kōtaigō'' 太皇太后), the crown prince (''kōtaishi'' 皇太子) and his consort, the imperial grandson who is heir apparent (''kōtaison'' 皇太孫) and his consort, the ''shinnō'' (親王) and their consorts, the ''naishinnō'' (内親王), the ''ō'' (王) and their consorts, and the ''nyoō'' (女王). The legitimate children and male line grandchildren of an emperor are ''shinnō'' (imperial princes) in the case of males and ''naishinnō'' (imperial princesses) in the case of females. More distant male line descendants are ''ō'' (princes) or ''nyoō'' (princesses). See below for more information on these titles. After the removal of eleven families from the imperial household in October 1947 , the official membership of the imperial family has effectively been limited to the male line descendants of the Taishō Emperor, excluding females who married outside the imperial family and their descendants. There are presently 22 members of the imperial family. Their personal names appear in parentheses:
LIVING FORMER MEMBERS OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY Under the terms of the 1947 Imperial Household Law, ''naishinnō'' (imperial princesses) and ''nyoō'' (princesses) lose their titles and membership in the imperial family upon marriage, unless they marry the Emperor or another member of the imperial family. Three of the five daughters of Emperor Shōwa , the two daughters of Prince Mikasa, and most recently, the only daughter of the Emperor Akihito left the imperial family upon marriage, taking the surnames of their husbands. (The eldest daughter of Emperor Shōwa married the eldest son of Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko in 1943 . The Higashikuni family lost its imperial status along with the other collateral branches of the imperial household in October 1947 ). The living former imperial princesses (whose personal names are in parentheses) are:
In addition to these former princesses, there are also descendants of the eleven ''cadet branches'' of the dynasty (Asaka, Fushimi , Higashi-Fushimi, Higashi-kuni, Kan'in , Kaya, Kitashirakawa, Kuni, Nashimoto, Takeda, and Yamashina) that left the imperial household in October 1947 . SUCCESSION : ''See also .'' Historically, the Succession to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne has generally passed in male line of the imperial lineage. The imperial clan previously included specially designated collateral lines or Shinnōke (princely houses), too. Most of the cadet branches of the clan were reduced to commoner status in 1947 . Before the Meiji Restoration , Japan had eight female tennō or reigning empresses, all of them daughters of male line of the imperial clan. None ascended purely as a wife or as a widow of emperor. None of these empresses married or gave birth after ascending the throne. Article 2 of the Constitution Of Japan provides that "The Imperial Throne shall be dynastic and succeeded to in accordance with the Imperial Household Law passed by the Diet." The Imperial Household Law of 16 January 1947 , enacted by the ninety-second and last session of the Imperial Diet, retained the exclusion on female dynasts found in the 1889 law. The government of Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru hastily cobbled together the legislation to bring the Imperial Household in compliance with the American-written Constitution Of Japan that went into effect in May, 1947 . In an effort to control the size of the imperial family, the law stipulates that only legitimate male descendants in the male line can be dynasts; that imperial princesses and princesses lose their status as Imperial Family members if they marry outside the Imperial Family; and that the Emperor and other members of the Imperial Family may not adopt children. There is a potential succession crisis since no male child has been born into the imperial family since Prince Akishino in 1965 . Following the birth of Princess Aiko , there was some public debate about amending the Imperial Household Law to allow women to succeed to the throne. In January 2005 Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro appointed a special panel comprised of judges, university professors, and civil servants to study changes to the Imperial Household Law and to make recommendations to the government. On October 25 , 2005 , the commission recommended amending the law to allow females in the male line of imperial descent to succeed to the throne. There is broad public support for such a change. See Japanese Imperial Succession Controversy . CURRENT ORDER OF SUCCESSION # His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Naruhito , the current Emperor's first son # His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino (Fumihito), the current Emperor's second son # His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi (Masahito), the current Emperor's brother # His Imperial Highness Prince Mikasa (Takahito), the current Emperor's uncle # His Imperial Highness Prince Tomohito Of Mikasa , Prince Mikasa's first son (the current Emperor's eldest male cousin) # His Imperial Highness Prince Katsura (Yoshihito), Prince Mikasa's second son (the current Emperor's second eldest male cousin) Except for Prince Mikasa, none of the princes now in the line of succession have sons. Crown Prince Naruhito has a daughter (Aiko), Prince Akishino has two daughters (Mako and Kako). The emperor's brother, Prince Hitachi, is childless. Of the three sons of Prince Mikasa: Prince Tomohito of Mikasa has two daughters (Akiko and Yōko), Prince Katsura is childless, and the late Prince Takamado had three daughters (Tsuguko, Noriko, and Ayako). POSSIBLE SUCCESSION SOLUTIONS Aside from amending the Imperial Household Law to allow women to succeed to the throne, there are a limited number of viable solutions. # Crown Prince Naruhito attempts to produce a male heir. # Prince Akishino attempts to produce a male heir. # Prince Katsura could marry and produce a male heir. In theory, one the other male members of the Imperial Family could have a son, but this is considered to very unlikely for various reasons. The remaining members of the Imperial Family are all female, namely the daughters of the above mentioned princes. These female members would all lose their Imperial status upon marrying a commoner. Since there are no eligible male members of the Imperial Family for them to marry, they will all eventually become commoners. Furthermore, according to the succession law, an heir must descend from the male line, thus excluding any children from any of these princesses. Theoretically, the Imperial Family may come to end after the last male heir dies. On February 6 , 2006 , it was announced that The Prince Akishino's wife Princess Kiko is pregnant. If the baby is male, he will be third in line to the throne. {Link without Title} HISTORY OF TITLES Ō (王) is a title (commonly translated Prince) given to male members of the Japanese Imperial Family who do not have the higher title of shinnō. The female equivalent is nyoō (女王). Ō can also be translated as "king". The origin of this double meaning is a copying of the Chinese Pattern . Unlike in China, however, ō was only used for Imperial Family members. Interestingly, "queen" is joō, using the same characters as nyoō. Historically, any male member of the Imperial Family was titled ō by default, with shinnō (親王; literally ''relative-prince'') and its female equivalent Naishinnō (内親王; literally '' relative-princess'') being special titles granted by the Emperor . After the Meiji Restoration , the difference between ō and shinnō were altered. A shinnō or naishinnō was a legitimate Imperial Family member descended from an Emperor down to the great grandchild. The term "legitimate Imperial Family" excludes anyone not connected by a direct male line descent, as well as the descendants of anyone who renounced their membership in the Imperial Family, or were expelled from the Imperial Family. Shinnō also included the heads of any of the Shinnōke . A provision of law which never had an opportunity to be applied also stipulated that if the head of a shinnōke succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne , then his brothers would acquire the title of shinnō, as well as their descendants (down to the grandchildren?). The Emperor could also specially grant the title of shinnō to any ō. In 1947 , the law was changed so that shinnō only extended to the male-line grandchildren of an Emperor. The Imperial Family was also drastically pruned, disestablishing the ōke and shinnōke. The consort of an ō or shinnō has the suffix -hi (妃) to ō or shinnō. RELATED TERMS SHINNōKE ŌKE
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