On September 6th, 2006, Prince and Princess Akishino gave birth to their third child. It was an important event because at 39 years old, it was looking unlikely that the couple would have another child, and had it not been a boy, Japan would have had no heir to the Emperor’s throne. The birth of Prince Hisahito finally ended the debate over whether the country should allow female succession.
The Japanese imperial line had run for over 1500 years, but it was a law as recent as 1947 that forbid a female from assuming the throne. Interestingly, long ago, Japan actually had female Empresses. One of them was Himiko…
Himiko (175?~248) has excited many Japanese minds due to her romantic history as a mysterious Queen who highlighted the ancient history of Japan. [Source: Hiragana Times]
To say Himiko was Queen of Japan is not exactly true. Japan was divided into over a hundred small countries at that time in history, and Himiko was the ruler of Yamataikoku.
Himiko was a female ruler of Yamataikoku, an ancient state-like formation thought to have been located either in the Yamato region or in northern Kyūshū of present-day Japan. [Source: Wikipedia]
With Prince Hisahito’s birth, a few more generations will surely pass before we see a female rule the nation once more. Personally, coming from a country with a history of queens, I think the whole debate is as silly as banning women from the sumo ring. I do wonder though, if Japan’s birthrate continues to decline, there may be no-one left, male or female, to ascend the throne. Maybe then, heaven forbid, they might give the crown to a half-blood! 
Do you think the 1947 imperial law should be rewritten to allow a female to rule the country? How about a naturalized Japanese citizen? Where do you draw the line?
