Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Monday that although he thinks a female member of the Imperial family should be allowed to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne, there should be no rush to amend the male-only succession law, which dates back to the early postwar period.

"I believe this is an issue whose conclusion should be reached after we hold thorough debate and listen to the views of various people," Fukuda told a news conference. "I don't think we need to rush to a hasty conclusion."

Asked if he thinks Japan should allow an empress to reign, Fukuda, who is also in charge of gender equality issues in the Cabinet, said, "From my point of view, of course, yes."

Fukuda agreed with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi about the Imperial succession.

Koizumi recently said: "It is still too early to make a decision. The matter should be considered with prudence."

Koizumi said Monday that although he thinks few Japanese would oppose having a reigning empress, there should be no rush to amend the male-only succession law for the Imperial family that was enacted in 1948.

"I think there are few who would oppose having a reigning empress. But that is a different issue" from the question of amending the law to allow a female to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne, Koizumi told reporters.

The birth of a baby girl on Saturday to the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess has spurred public debate on the possibility of a reigning empress, as there is no immediate male heir to the throne after the 41-year-old Crown Prince and his brother, Prince Akishino, 36.

Key lawmakers from the ruling bloc and opposition parties said Sunday that a female member of the Imperial family should be allowed to become a reigning emperor.

But some added that the nation should take its time in debating whether to amend the male-only succession law.

"I think it is quite natural to revise the Imperial Household Law," said Hiromu Nonaka, a former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party and a senior member of the dominant LDP faction, led by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.

"Japan aims to create a society where men and women can both take part. Other countries have examples of having an empress or queen."

The birth of the girl has prompted debate on the possibility of a reigning empress due to the lack of an immediate male heir to the Imperial throne after the 41-year-old Crown Prince and his younger brother, Prince Akishino, 36, under the 1948 law.

Koichi Kato, a former LDP secretary general who heads a small LDP faction, said he supports the idea of a reigning empress.

"I spoke to Secretary General (Taku) Yamasaki over the phone last night, and he said he agrees with the idea," Kato told a TV Asahi program. "And so do I. Japan often had empresses in ancient times."

In May, Koizumi said he "personally believes Japan can have a reigning empress."

The LDP's coalition partners -- New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- as well as the Democratic Party of Japan have also indicated they favor changing the law.

Kato said, however, that the public and lawmakers "must have sufficient discussions," as some members within the LDP strongly oppose the idea of a reigning empress.

"Diet members can revise the law depending on the will of the public," Yamasaki said in an online forum. "I would like to wait and listen to the public debate on the issue."

NCP chief Takeshi Noda said that while he would accept the idea of a reigning empress, the nation need not rush into immediate debate of the issue.

Naoto Kan, secretary general of the DPJ, said he and DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama personally believe a reigning empress should be allowed.

But Kan told a TV Asahi program: "The girl was born only yesterday. The prince and princess have a good chance to have more babies. We should not rush to a debate. It's better to form a consensus that can be supported by many people."

Little interest in baby

Television Tokyo's "Saturday Special Hotpot" drew more interest than special programs on the birth of the Crown Princess' daughter Saturday night, a TV ratings company said Monday.

NHK expanded its regular news program by nearly two hours but drew a rating of only 10 percent, its usual rating for the program in eastern Japan. Four commercial stations that ran special programs drew ratings of between 4 percent and 9 percent, which is exceptionally low for a prime time Saturday, Video Research Ltd. said.

But "Saturday Special Hotpot," aired by Television Tokyo Channel 12 Ltd. at the same time, pulled in 17.5 percent of viewers in the Kanto area, or about 7 percentage points higher than its usual rating, the company said. The program, broadcast by six affiliates of Television Tokyo nationwide, also received a higher than usual rating of 11.1 percent in the Kansai area.

Television Tokyo's programming department said it decided to opt for the regular program because it knew the other stations were going to broadcast specials on the baby.