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Japan revises law on royals, keeps blocking women from throne

Japan has revised its laws to prevent the world's oldest hereditary monarchy from running out of heirs. But they have left in place a ban on female emperors, an idea which most Japanese support.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Anthony Kuhn is NPR's correspondent based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and the great diversity of Asia's countries and cultures. Before moving to Seoul in 2018, he traveled to the region to cover major stories including the North Korean nuclear crisis and the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster.