So, I've been following the news from Japan quite a bit, both in terms of personal and academic interests. I could not help but feel cynicism growing in recent events.

Some of you, or maybe all of you, may have heard about the problem of succession in the Japanese Imperial family. They have not sired a boy for decades, and the outlook was looking poor a few months ago. The BBC covered the emerging debate as Koizumi's faction in the LDP sought a decidedly progressive move towards allowing female succession.

Currently, the Imperial line can only go from male to male. Once the current Emperor dies, the title will go to the eldest son, and considering he doesn't have any male heirs, if he were to die, his brother (between whom there is quite a rift) will assume the role. Women cannot. Conservatives worry that a female Emperor would be married to a foreigner and so dilute the Japanese (ahem... some may say Korean) blood of the family.

Koizumi seemed to be earning kudos as he pushed through the idea of a bill to change the succession. Incidently, all Imperial family politics goes through the Diet in post-war Japan. However, a week ago, Princess Kiko announced she was pregnant; this would mean that the heir's brother, Akishino could have an heir of his own, further damaging the rift between the siblings. With the prospect of not needing to change succession, Koizumi has scrapped plans for a bill and limited action to a debate... whoop di woo.

Safe to say, allowing women onto the Chrysanthemum throne would have enhanced the cause for women's rights in Japan, something that is pretty stagnant and still nascent. But furthermore, we can see that Koizumi could not justify causing uproar (something he could do vis a vis the election and postal reform), and so has downgraded the issue. Now we have to wait and see if Kiko drops a boy from her loins lest we be subjected to this no-brainer again.

I hate monarchical crap...