Japan amends Imperial House Law to address succession crisis while maintaining male-only inheritance

The Japanese parliament passed the first major revision to the Imperial House Law in 79 years, permitting female royals to retain their status after marriage and allowing the adoption of male heirs from former branches. The reform aims to mitigate the shrinking size of the imperial family but explicitly excludes female succession to the throne, leaving the long-term viability of the monarchy's current structure in question.