As part of efforts to ensure a stable Imperial succession, the government is making arrangements to hear individually from academic experts on the subject, according to sources.
The government will not set up an initially planned panel of experts for the time being, the sources said, to avoid any impact on the series of ceremonies and events related to the Emperor's enthronement.
The Imperial House Law stipulates that a "male offspring in the male line" of the Imperial lineage will succeed to the Imperial throne. Currently, there are only three members of the Imperial family who are eligible to become Emperor: Crown Prince Akishino; his eldest son, Prince Hisahito; and Prince Hitachi, an uncle of the Emperor.
A supplementary resolution to a special measures law that allowed the Emperor of the Heisei era to abdicate calls on the government to consider matters such as "issues to ensure stable Imperial succession."
In light of this, the government plans to start examining how to handle the Imperial succession after the Daijosai great thanksgiving ceremony, one of the events related to the Imperial succession, is held in mid-November.
However, the government intends to only interview academic experts and other relevant people for the time being, according to the sources. The Rikkoshi no Rei ceremony that will proclaim Crown Prince Akishino as the koshi -- the heir first in line to the Imperial throne -- is scheduled to be held in April next year. The government apparently wants the ceremony to be held in a quiet environment.
Regarding how to proceed with discussions on the Imperial succession, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference on Wednesday, "We want to deal with the matter carefully and thoroughly, while taking into account the grave fact that the Imperial succession of the male line has been maintained without exception."
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