Discussions on the issue of imperial succession in Japan are failing to progress under the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The issue is urgent given that the number of imperial family members is expected to decrease further in the future, but the conservative wing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is wary of allowing female members of the family and people in the maternal lineage to ascend the throne.
Resolving the issue became all the more challenging after Shigetaka Yamasaki, a special adviser to the Cabinet in charge of the imperial family system, quit on Sept. 13.