Bills to preserve imperial family clear Upper House

A contentious package of bills aimed at preventing a further shrinking of Japan’s imperial family cleared the Upper House on Friday, paving the way for the first major revision of the Imperial House Law since it was established in 1947.

The bills will have princesses stay on in the imperial family after marriage and allow male members of former branches of the family to regain their royal status through adoption. They take effect three months after they are promulgated.

The bills cleared the Upper House with 184 votes cast for them versus 57 votes against. The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), the Japanese Communist Party and Reiwa Shinsengumi voted against the pieces of legislation.