TOKYO, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- A senior Japanese government official dismissed speculation Tuesday that the country was ready to accept a female seated on the imperial throne.
In a press briefing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda denied reports in a number of dailies that the Imperial Household Agency was preparing to allow a female emperor.
"A panel of experts has only just begun discussing issues related to the imperial succession," Hosoda said.
Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife, Masako, have one daughter, Princess Aiko, and many royal watchers expect Aiko to be the sole child of the couple. Under the current law, only men can succeed the throne, but there are no other male children in the immediate circle of the imperial family. As such, there are growing calls to allow a female to head the imperial household.
