The Cabinet approved a bill Tuesday to amend the Civil Code so that it will grant the same inheritance rights to legitimate and illegitimate children in line with a Supreme Court decision in September, but critics say it falls short.
The Diet is expected to pass the bill during the current session, which ends Dec. 6, because the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Japan, are likely to support the legislation.
The Supreme Court ruled Sept. 4 that the provision stipulating that children born out of wedlock are legally entitled to only half of the worth of an estate that their "legitimate" siblings inherit is against the constitutional principle of equality.