Key facts
- 84% of respondents in a Nikkei and TV Tokyo poll support female and female-line emperors.
- 42% of respondents find the adoption plan for former imperial branch males appropriate, while 45% do not.
- The revised Imperial House Law aims to secure the number of imperial family members.
- Approval ratings for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet have dropped to their lowest levels.
- 71% of the public disapproves of the government's inflation measures.
A recent poll by Nikkei and TV Tokyo indicates strong public support for female emperors in Japan, with 84% of respondents favoring the allowance of female and female-line emperors. This sentiment comes as Japan revises its Imperial House Law.
The revision, approved by Japan's Diet on July 17, includes provisions to allow male-lineage male descendants from former imperial branch families to be adopted into the imperial family, making their sons eligible for succession. However, public opinion on this specific adoption plan is divided, with 42% deeming it appropriate and 45% considering it inappropriate.
The revised law also aims to enable female imperial family members to remain in the household after marriage. A supplementary resolution in the Diet suggests that measures for stable imperial succession will continue to be examined, deferring a final decision on female or female-line emperors.
Meanwhile, approval ratings for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet have seen a significant decline across major opinion polls, reaching their lowest point since the administration took office. Public dissatisfaction with the government's handling of high prices is a primary driver of this drop, with 71% of respondents in a Yomiuri Shimbun survey disapproving of the government's inflation measures. This negative sentiment has extended even to core supporters of the ruling bloc.
Proposals aimed at alleviating economic pressure, such as a new wage system for low- and middle-income workers and a reduction in the food consumption tax, have garnered mixed reactions. Support for the proposed food tax cut has seen a slight decrease from the previous month.