Japan imperial succession bill clears lower house

Japan's lower house passed a bill aimed at easing an imperial succession crisis as the royal family shrinks under a male-only succession rule.

The future of the imperial household currently hinges on Prince Hisahito, Emperor Naruhito's 19-year-old nephew. The centuries-old succession would be broken if he does not have a male child.

The bill would revise the Imperial Household Law, which has been in place since 1947. It would allow the imperial family to adopt male distant relatives over 15 and let women keep royal status after marrying someone outside the family.

The proposal does not address allowing a woman to become emperor, despite public support for that change. Princess Aiko, the emperor's 24-year-old only child, remains barred from the throne.

The imperial family now has 16 members, including five men. An Asahi Shimbun poll in May showed 72 percent of respondents supported changing the rules to allow women to ascend the throne.

The bill cleared the lower house, where the ruling Liberal Democratic Party holds a majority, and will be debated in the upper house next week.