Leaders of Japan's House of Representatives and House of Councillors agreed Friday on a draft plan to secure the number of imperial family members [1].

The agreement marks a critical step toward amending the Imperial House Law to ensure stable succession. The current system faces a shortage of heirs, prompting the government to consider allowing female royals to remain in the family after marriage, and permitting the adoption of male descendants from former imperial branches [3, 4, 5].

Speaker Mori and the vice-chairs of both houses reached the consensus during a general meeting held at the National Diet [4, 5]. This meeting was the first of its kind in approximately one year [4]. The leaders intend to present the finalized summary to all political parties on June 8 [1, 2].

"Today, a summary by the four chairs and vice-chairs of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors was completed in order to consolidate the consensus of the legislature," Mori said [1]. He said that the leaders considered various opinions to create the best possible proposal [1].

The legislative goal is to implement the changes to the Imperial House Law within the current Diet session [1]. The proposed measures aim to balance the preservation of the male-lineage tradition with the practical necessity of maintaining a functional imperial household [3, 4, 5].

By coordinating the positions of both the lower and upper houses, the parliamentary leadership seeks to minimize friction among the various political parties before the formal proposal is introduced [1, 2].

“A summary by the four chairs and vice-chairs of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors was completed”

The agreement signals a rare level of consensus among Japan's top legislative leaders on a highly sensitive cultural issue. By proposing a hybrid approach—combining the retention of female royals with the adoption of male members from former imperial branches—the government is attempting to solve the succession crisis without fully abandoning the traditional male-only lineage. The success of this plan depends on whether the broader political parties accept these compromises during the June 8 briefing.