Imperial Family of Japan
Japan is the only nation in the world the words "emperor" and "imperial" are used in present form sentences.
Japan has and has had the emperor at any time in these 2000 years, or scientifically 1300 years, historically 1700 years, spiritually 2000 years, and mythically 2600 years. But who becomes an emperor? It is a son of the incumbent emperor as today so provided institutionally, but traditionally a son of a male member of the imperial families in the broad sense of the term. In fact, through the traditional way, the present Emperor has and the all the past emperors had their fathers who were emperors or direct descendants of preceding emperors through the paternal line.
Any emperor of Japan in the past had his father who was emperor or a son of an emperor, or otherwise a direct descendant of a certain preceding emperor through the paternal line.
This is a big difference from Chinese past dynasties. In China, revolutions occurred one after another in its history. Through each revolution, a clan of the emperor of a preceding dynasty was driven out or broken off. So, emperors of different dynasties were from different families or clans. Yet, Japan boasts of its unbroken line of emperors through the paternal line to date.
The present Emperor of Japan (77) has two sons. So, the eldest son (51) is destined to succeed his father in future. But, the eldest son, namely the Crown Prince of Japan, has no sons but only one daughter (9). Yet, his younger brother (45) has one son (5) in addition to two daughters. And, the imperial brothers have no cousins, since the Emperor has only one younger brother (75) who has no children. Accordingly, it is a matter of some concern. If the nephew of the Crown Prince should have no sons in future, what would happen to Japan? No eligible persons for the emperor!
Yet, the present Emperor has an uncle. The younger brother of Showa Emperor, namely the father of the present Emperor, still lives at the age of 95. He has three sons (one is the deceased), but all the children of theirs are all young women today. If any son is in this paternal line, he would have a right to take the imperial throne in case. But the uncle of the present Emperor has no grandsons.
There are seven persons in the Imperial Families of today who have a right of imperial succession according to stipulated order:
Imperial Succession Order.....Status
----------------------------------------------
#1...Crown Prince (51)
#2...Younger Brother of Crown Prince (45)
#3...Son of Younger Brother of Crown Prince (5)
#4...Younger Brother of the Emperor (75)
#5...Uncle of the Emperor (95)
#6...Eldest Son of the Uncle of the Emperor (65)
#7...Second-Eldest Son of the Uncle of the Emperor (63)
So, again, if the nephew of the Crown Prince should have no sons in future, what would happen to Japan? No eligible persons for the emperor!
But, what if female members of the Imperial Families are allowed to succeed to the imperial throne? There is a law that specifies who can be an emperor, and it excludes female members. But what if the law is changed so that female members are allowed to take the imperial throne in case? Indeed there were female emperors in the past. But, the paternal line condition has been observed. Past female emperors were all instituted as an emergency measure to secure the paternal line. For example, when a crown prince was too young, his mother, namely a widow and ex-empress, took the political and religious status as emperor till her son grew up. Moreover, the religion of the Imperial Families, namely shinto, requires an emperor who is directly connected to a certain preceding male emperor through the paternal line. Blood and DNA are sacred in shintoism, too.
But, what if the nephew of the Crown Prince should have no sons in future?
This is one the largest national issues of Japan, though it has not so often surfaced in the Media and society in general.
In other word, though Showa Emperor, the deceased father of the present Emperor, has seven grandchildren, only two were boys. And, though Showa Emperor, the deceased father of the present Emperor, has four great-grandchildren, only one is a boy.
*** ***
On October 17, 1947 when Japan was occupied by the US Military, the General Headquarters of the Occupying Force ordered Japan to abolish 11 branch imperial families. Only the families of the Emperor and his brothers (namely three imperial families) survived this anti-Japanese measure.
This incident has resulted in today's situation of the Imperial Families regrading the imperial succession. Nonetheless, there are big and deep controversies as to whether the Japanese Government, now not subject to the US, should restore the imperial status of those 11 ex-imperial branch families. If they should be allowed to return to the imperial title, the imperial succession problem is expected to be solved.
The o-ke (literally Princely Houses), were branches of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house. All but one of the ōke were formed by the descendants of Prince Fushimi Kuniye. The ōke were stripped of their membership in the Imperial Family by the American Occupation Authorities in October 1947, as part of the abolition of collateral imperial houses. After that point, only the immediate family of Hirohito and those of his three brothers retained membership in the Imperial Family. However, unofficial heads of these collateral families still exist for most and are listed herein.(Note: In Wikipedia, one branch imperial family is dropped in the above page. The imperial branch family was disconnected in 1988. But the branch family of the extinct imperial branch family is said to be the very House of the present Emperor, namely the Imperial Family.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Cke
(to be continued...)
*** *** *** ***
These days some Japanese opt to spend their retired life in foreign countries, such as the US, Canada, Australia, and even in the Philippines.
There are some Japanese who even work and stay in foreign countries on a permanent basis. They sometimes write their opinions about incidents in Japan on Internet sites, including Twitter. But, they are not so much respected in Japan. They do not feel real atmosphere in Japan. Sometimes they are too proud living in the US, Canada, or Australia as rich men. And, ultimately they don't mind who the next emperor of Japan will be.
Strictly speaking they are not responsible members of Japan any more. Their rich living is not linked to the state of Japan but their own personal assets. But, if Japan fails in whatever national sense, how those Japanese living abroad can be proud or can be so much respected. Anyway you cannot serve two masters.
Therefore, you had better not trust opinions about Japan and Japanese matters, including the imperial family, of those Japanese who live outside Japan. It is so, since being Japanese can be compared to being Christian but this religion of Japanese is, put extremely, only meaningful if they live in Japan.
(If a Japanese lives in a foreign country, he would never pay his respects at a shito shrine or a Japanese Buddhist temple even in the New Year Eve and on the New Year Day.)
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Joh 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.