An advisory panel of six intellectuals will hold its first meeting Monday to address a critical issue facing the Imperial system: Emperor Akihito’s wish to abdicate sometime in the next few years due to his advanced age.
These discussions could drastically transform the future of the world's oldest royal system, which has a dearth of male heirs and faces concerns over the sustainability of the male-only succession line.
However, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems to be trying to limit the scope of the panel's discussion to avoid any controversy over politically sensitive issues that could enrage conservative nationalists, his core supporters.