Imperial Family Bill to Clear Lower House Fri.

Tokyo, July 9 (Jiji Press)–The House of Representatives’ steering committee decided at a board meeting Thursday to put the government’s bill to revise the Imperial House Law to a vote by the full Lower House on Friday. The bill is expected to be approved by a majority vote and then sent to the House of Councillors. It is likely to be enacted during the current Diet session. The bill aims to ensure an adequate number of Imperial Family members by allowing the Imperial Family to adopt male, paternal-line descendants of former Imperial Family branches and retaining female members in the Imperial Family after marriage. The opposition Democratic Party for the People plans to support the bill, as well as a supplementary resolution presented by the speakers and vice speakers of both Diet chambers, DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki told reporters after a party meeting on Thursday. The DPFP broadly accepted the proposed right of the sons of adoptees to succeed to the throne, though some members requested discussing the issue in the future. Meanwhile, Tamaki said that his party would “positively consider” a revision of the supplementary resolution, sought by the Centrist Reform Alliance, if the ruling and opposition parties can agree on it. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]