In the Jan. 7 Kyodo brief, "Ideas on female royalty solicited," we find out that handpicked "experts" will be asked to approve of the government proposal to expand the number of members of the royal family. When will we see a constitutional challenge to this government-by-expert panel?
We need to be asking who the experts are, how relevant their expertise is, what interest they have in the issue, and who is rewarding them. As a rule, they should not be trusted as they are simply a threat to democratic representation and a mere legitimization of whatever has been previously decided.
With the Emperor of Japan constitutionally a symbol of the people, it is clearly right that the people themselves be consulted about their ideas. They will, after all, most likely end up paying for any expansion. The fact that they are not being asked only highlights the contempt with which they are held and the worthlessness of the Constitution in this case.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.