Forum - View topicempress in Japan
|
|
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
BoygetsfireD
 Posts: 475 Location: earth |
|
|||
|
this post has no relation to anime, except that it has to do with Japan, so I will completely understand if the admins decide to lock it, or at least tell me a better section to post it in
I read in the CS monitor today that a council is deciding if they should cange the Imperial House Law to allow a female to become emperor (or empress, as the case may be). They are debating this because there is no male heir to the throne in the 2,500 year old Chrysanthemum dynasty. the only heir is, in fact, a 3-year-old girl, Princess Aiko. One of Japan's biggest newspapers (Yomiuri Shimbun) had a poll about it, and found 79% in favour of allowing an empress and only 4% against the idea. this can all be found in the 8 February edition of the Christian Science Monitor I'm just wondering what everybodys' thought about it are |
||||
|
||||
Haru to Ashura
 Posts: 617 Location: Termina |
|
|||
|
Sounds fine to me. The poll results make me happy that sexism is slowly fading out of Japan's younger generations.
I saw a picture of Aiko-hime in the newspaper once. She's so cute! XD |
||||
|
||||
Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10455 Location: Do not message me for support. |
|
|||
Keeping the emperor around is itself a matter of tradition, not function. Barring females from the position is nothing like barring them from government. Traditionally, the emperor has always been male. So I don't feel that it is particularly sexist or wrong that a female can't become empress, and I don't think badly against those traditionalists who are against the change. That being said, personally, I'd be all for a female empress. Even traditions evolve over time, and it should be more important to maintain the line of eperors than it would be to stick to the strict tradition. Also, given Japanese society, while some might revolt against the breaking of tradition, I think the majority of people will be more fond of an empress than an emperor. What I mean by this is that people are more likely to "love" an emperess than an emperor.
My point exactly. -t |
||||
|
||||
|
linlinchan
Posts: 286 |
|
|||
|
It's ridiculous. At this point in time, the only Japanese making a big deal of this are the press. Everyone that I've talked to, including some relatively conservative people, are for Aiko-sama becoming Empress. Besides, the belief that there has never been a female ruler since the beginning of the Imperial line is false, there were several in the Nara and Heian period.
|
||||
|
||||
SalarymanJoe
 Posts: 468 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA |
|
|||
|
Yeah, there've been a few who have simply ruled only when a male wasn't avaiable and thier rule was ended as soon as there was a male that was ready to assume the throne.
Actually, I remember having a family lineage somewhere in a book that said there were two daughters of the crown prince, the oldest of them being like 10 or 11 now... she has a little sister, too. Hmm.... I could be mistaking thier father. |
||||
|
||||
|
linlinchan
Posts: 286 |
|
|||
... No. There were Empresses who ruled as exclusive rulers back in the day, before it was considered a male institution. The only real reason that it became a male institution was to seperate the state from the control of the Buddhist temples, under who's influence one of the Empresses came strongly. |
||||
|
||||
Sarki-Kun
 Posts: 594 Location: Spain |
|
|||
|
Strange post. Anyways, as Tempest hasn't locked it, I guess it's not bothering anyone...
Ok, really think Aiko should become the new empress. Why not? I consider too strange not allowing someone to become a ruler just because she's a female, specially when we're talking about something Aiko couldn't have chose when she was born. Not just that, there're more royal families (such as the British) where having female rulers hasn't been any big trouble. I don't think that's something comprehensible having this thoughts at the XXI century. Not just that, female population in Japan will get...Well, you know, I won't say anything about sexist discrimination, but it is obviously there. That would help women in Japan. Finally, if the poll says that just a 4% is agaisnt this...I'm glad. Seems she will finally be the first empress since a loooong time. |
||||
|
||||
|
Haru to Ashura
Posts: 617 Location: Termina |
|
|||
Yes, I'm aware of that. She'll still have cultural and perhaps some political influence as the head of state though. (For those who don't know, head of state just means a ceremonial ruler who does traditional things and has little power. Ex: When the US President pardons a turkey on Thanksgiving, he's just acting as the head of state.) I'm sure if/when she's empress, the press will always ask her opinions on political issues, just because she'll be a celebrity of sorts. In that way, it's still an important influence to the community, like the Royal family has in Britian. |
||||
|
||||
|
sacchan
Posts: 277 Location: Okinawa, Japan |
|
|||
|
I'm Japanese, and I don't care if the emperor is male or female. I consider the imperial family to be a sort of heriditary ambassadors.
But the other day, my mom pointed out one of the monetary implications of making women able to inherit the throne. The whole imperial family lives lavishly on the taxpayers' money. When the women of the imperial family marries, she becomes one of the civilians. But if women can also inherit, she'll have to remain in the imperial family for life, and if she marries, her husband will be ADDED to the imperial family. That means that we taxpayers will have to support double or triple the number of imperial family for life. If there's a way for women to become empresses without meaninglessly draining the taxpayers' money, I'm all for it. But I don't want to pay for the luxuries of husbands that might get added to the imperial family when most likely they will be quite well-off in the first place. |
||||
|
||||
|
Sarki-Kun
Posts: 594 Location: Spain |
|
|||
|
I never thought about the economical impact for the families, probably because I'm not who's gonna pay those taxes. Anyway, I understand this, I also have a king and its royal families...(I'm jealous about my french and portuguese neighbours u.u).
However, I just consider taxes are too high, in fact, I don't want to have a royal family. So, this problem is not because Aiko's a woman (except for that circumstance that sacchan pointed out), yet it's more because she'd be an empress. |
||||
|
||||
msi435
 Posts: 465 Location: Behind you! |
|
|||
|
Even if she becomes emperor she won’t have much control over anything really, her advisors would probably run the show. So it wouldn't matter who is the emperor it’s just a face for the government, mine as well make it a pretty one.
|
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group