This is confusing. The article doesn’t mention why he may be the last, just that there is a debate over changing the succession rules to allow women to be Emperor. The succession line currently ends with Prince Hisahito but he is only 19, so why can’t he have children of his own?
Right? Without any specifics, it seems like a pointless thing to write since if the guy does end up having a boy, they could say the same about him, and about anybody else that came before.
I think it’s a statement of how short the line of succession actually is. In a robust royal family there is a whole chain of people who are in line for the throne should something happen. But it seems like the succession rules preclude everyone else living right now. And that’s precarious. Yes he could someday have children, hence the “may” in “may be the last.” The kicker is he could also not and then there would be no contingency.
This is confusing. The article doesn’t mention why he may be the last, just that there is a debate over changing the succession rules to allow women to be Emperor. The succession line currently ends with Prince Hisahito but he is only 19, so why can’t he have children of his own?
Right? Without any specifics, it seems like a pointless thing to write since if the guy does end up having a boy, they could say the same about him, and about anybody else that came before.
I think it’s a statement of how short the line of succession actually is. In a robust royal family there is a whole chain of people who are in line for the throne should something happen. But it seems like the succession rules preclude everyone else living right now. And that’s precarious. Yes he could someday have children, hence the “may” in “may be the last.” The kicker is he could also not and then there would be no contingency.