Reiwa, and the Path Ahead

Last time, we saw how the Heisei imperial household, through visits to console disaster-stricken regions and journeys of remembrance to former battlefields, deepened the figure of a symbol that stands together with the people, and in time opened the way to an abdication said to be the first in two hundred years. That path, begun with quiet words, was carried over into a new era through the procedure of legislation.

In this final chapter, we survey the span from the change of era to Reiwa down to the present. The throne handed on through the Ceremony of Enthronement, the role borne by the imperial household of today, and the various discussions that continue over the succession of the throne. At the close of this series, which has traced more than a thousand years from the age of myth, we deliberately do not rush to a conclusion. On themes where opinion divides, we set out several views fairly, and wish to gaze quietly at how the imperial household stands between tradition and modern society.

The Change of Era to Reiwa

Following the abdication of April 30, 2019 (Heisei 31), the throne was handed on the next day, May 1, and the era name was changed to Reiwa.

According to public records, on May 1, the ‘Ceremony of the Inheritance of the Imperial Regalia and Seals’ and other rites were carried out as acts in matters of state, and the new emperor acceded to the throne. In reporting, a change of era by abdication from a living emperor was described as the first such form in roughly two hundred years, since Emperor Kokaku in the latter part of the Edo period. And on October 22 of the same year, the ‘Ceremony of the Enthronement at the Seiden Hall,’ which proclaims the enthronement at home and abroad, was conducted at the palace. The solemn rite, accompanied by ancient robes and furnishings, drew much attention as something that conveys to the present the forms handed down through long history, it was reported.

The change of era from Heisei to Reiwa carried a special meaning in the modern period and after, in that it took place in the form of an abdication. Unlike a change of era accompanying a passing, two eras were quietly bridged — a transition that many people, one may say, watched over.

The Role of the Imperial Household Today

The imperial household of Reiwa carries on the duties as symbol that had been shaped up through Heisei.

Under the Constitution of Japan, the emperor holds no power relating to the government of the state, performs the acts in matters of state provided for in the Constitution, and is positioned as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people. Beyond the acts in matters of state, public activities such as visits to console disaster areas, attendance at various ceremonies, and international goodwill are said to be carried out again and again. Many of these duties may be said to lie on the extension of the path accumulated from the postwar years through Heisei.

Being an existence that carries on tradition while standing in the very midst of modern society — holding both of these aspects at once may be said to be one feature of the imperial household today.

Discussions Over the Succession of the Throne

In the Reiwa era, a major issue spoken of in connection with the imperial household is the question of the stable succession of the throne. This is a theme on which assessments and positions divide, and here we side with no position, striving to set out the points being reported fairly.

According to public records and reporting, the qualification for succession to the throne and the securing of the number of imperial family members have been examined on several occasions by councils of experts and the like. The report of the 2005 (Heisei 17) council of experts set out, for the sake of stable succession, a direction of broadening the qualification for succession to female and female-line descendants, it is said. On the other hand, against the background of the birth of a male member of the imperial family the following year and other factors, cautious views also grew stronger, and the institution was not revised.

In recent years, in the report compiled by the council of experts in 2021 (Reiwa 3), proposals such as having female members of the imperial family remain in the imperial family even after marriage, and adopting as heirs male members of houses that were once of the imperial family, were set out, it is reported. Thereafter, based on such reports, discussions centered on the legislature are said to be continuing. The succession of the throne bears on the very foundation of the imperial institution, and is also a subject to be considered by society as a whole; a conclusion is not easily settled.

Having Walked a Thousand Years, and the Path Ahead

Beginning from the age of myth and legend, through the emperors of antiquity, the authority within the age of the warrior houses, the emperor of the modern era, and then the symbolic emperor of the postwar years — the path of the imperial household traced in this series overlapped deeply with the history of Japan itself.

In each era, the position of the imperial household changed greatly. There were eras when it stood at the center of politics, eras when it was kept apart from power and preserved as authority, and eras when it was placed at the center of the modern state. And after the war, a new path began, as a symbol holding no political power. That it has been handed on for so long while changing its form — that itself may be said to be one feature of this history.

In a course spanning more than a thousand years, the imperial household stood together with countless events. To gaze at each one of them, as quietly as possible, without inflaming and without exalting — that is what this series has sought to do. What path the imperial household will follow from here, we cannot say for certain. Yet coming to know a long history ought to become a foundation for thinking about the debates before us more calmly, and more deeply.

From the faint light of myth to this day in Reiwa, we thank from the heart the readers who have kept us company on this long journey. Without rushing to an answer, and learning from history, we hope that we may go on thinking together, here onward as well.

【The Imperial Household: A Thousand Years Alongside Japan — End】