Naruhito (l) and Akihito (r)
In December 2017, Emperor of Japan Akihito announced that he would abdicate the throne on April 30th, 2019. This is Showa Day, which in Japan celebrates the memory of World War II emperor Hirohito, who oversaw the resurgence of the Japanese Empire. Naruhito, the son of an apostate Catholic mother, is the heir apparent to the throne. This comes at a time when Japan is openly remilitarizing with the assistance of the US in an apparent preparation for war.
It has been popular in the Western world to put women into places of power traditionally occupied by men. In an apparent response to this, the Japanese government is quietly putting into place new regulations that will bar any women from becoming heir to Japan’s throne:
The government decided Thursday only male adult imperial family members will attend one of the key ceremonies to mark Crown Prince Naruhito’s ascension to the throne on May 1, following the example set by Emperor Akihito’s enthronement in 1989.
The government will allow only male adults from the imperial family to attend the ceremony because the Imperial Household Law stipulates that only males can ascend the throne and minor members customarily do not take part in succession rites.
But excluding female members could be viewed as being out of touch with the times.
In contrast, the government will allow female cabinet ministers to participate in the rite on the grounds that they are unrelated to the imperial succession and would be attending as observers.
Currently, the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has only one female minister — Satsuki Katayama, in charge of regional revitalization. She would be allowed to attend the ceremony if she remains in the post.
When Emperor Akihito ascended the throne in January 1989 following the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito, the attendants were all male. The cabinet at the time, under Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, had no female ministers.
The 58-year-old crown prince will ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne a day after Emperor Akihito, 85, abdicates on April 30 as the first living Japanese monarch to do so in about 200 years.
The “Kenji to Shokei no Gi” ceremony, in which the new emperor inherits traditional regalia such as the sacred sword and jewels as proof of accession to the throne, will commence at 10:30 a.m. on May 1 at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, with cabinet ministers, Diet leaders and the chief justice of the Supreme Court taking part.
Prince Fumihito, the 53-year-old younger son of the emperor, and Prince Hitachi, the 83-year-old younger brother of the emperor, will be the only participants from the imperial family.
But in the “Sokui go Choken no Gi” ritual, or the new emperor’s first audience ceremony after the accession to be held later on May 1, female adult imperial family members will be allowed to participate, along with senior parliament and government officials and municipality heads.
The government committee on the imperial succession rites led by Abe also decided Thursday to use a convertible model of Toyota Motor Corp’s luxury sedan Century for a parade scheduled for Oct 22 to celebrate with the public the new emperor’s enthronement.
Among five candidates, the panel picked Toyota’s Century, typically the sedan of choice for the imperial family and company executives, for the parade in light of safety and fuel economy.
Other candidates were Nissan Motor Co’s Cima, Honda Motor Co’s Legend, Rolls Royce’s Dawn and Mercedes-Benz’s S560 Cabriolet. The government also sounded out BMW, but it did not present a proposal, officials said.
In a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the enthronement of Emperor Akihito on Feb. 24 at the National Theater, Fukushima Gov Masao Uchibori and former Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi will offer words of gratitude to him as representatives of the public, according to the outline of a series of succession ceremonies.
The present emperor, who has undergone heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, signaled his desire to step down in a video message in 2016, citing concerns that his advanced age and weakening health could prevent him from fulfilling his duties.
The Diet enacted a one-off law in June 2017, allowing him to pass his status to his elder son. The special legislation was necessary as the Imperial House Law lacks a provision for abdication. (source, source)
Traditional Japanese lore believes that they are the descendants of “the gods,” and as such they are superior to man in what is nothing less than an ancient form of Darwinism.
The actions of this law are preparing the way for Naruhito’s ascension to the Imperial throne, and with that a push for and emphasis on a return to “traditional” Japanese culture and “values,” meaning a push for militarism.
Given Japan’s history, they will use the US and the Western world to benefit their nation, and when they believe the time is right they will fully release the hounds of war on east Asia. The preparations may be silent, but they have always been there- Japan has never even apologized for her crimes in World War II, and continues not to unrepentantly support, but venerate notorious war criminals at the Yasukuni Shrine.
While all of this is happening, and regardless of one’s political affiliations, one must never forget that it is the US who is enabling Japan’s rise, and the current President is so far the one who has most given license to Japan to return to her previous ways. Let this be remembered for the historical record, that when Japan does do what she always does historically, that it was not something that happened out of nowhere, but was a carefully prepared plan with the willing consent of many that allowed it to happen. The blame, therefore, must not be wholly foisted upon the Japanese, but also on those who knowing her tendencies chose not only to ignore, but to shamelessly exploit them for personal gain knowing what would happen because they valued gain over simple humanity, and in the words of Smedley Butler, measured profits in dollars and losses in lives without any care for those who they affected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQUXuQ6Zd9w