Japan's Prince Hisahito adorned in coming-of-age ceremony

Japan's Prince Hisahito has become the first male royal to reach adulthood in 40 years.

The nephew of Emperor Naruhito, Hisahito received a black silk and lacquer crown at his coming-of-age ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life.

Hisahito, 19, is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, named after the flower that serves as the seal of the Imperial House, and is likely to become emperor one day.

"Thank you very much for bestowing the crown today at the coming-of-age ceremony," Hisahito said. "I will fulfil my duties, being aware of my responsibilities as an adult member of the imperial family."

Due to a desire to concentrate on his college entrance exams, Hisahito's coming-of-age rituals come a year after he turned 18, when he reached legal adulthood.

As there is currently no-one in place to take the throne after Hisahito, the male-only succession policy has come under scrutiny once more.

Emperor Naruhito has a daughter, Princess Aiko, but the 23-year-old has been sidelined by the royal family's current succession rules. 

Why could Hisahito be the last emperor?

Tradition dictates only a man can carry on the imperial line, according to a legend dating back 2,600 years.

Akishino, Emperor Naruhito's younger brother, was the last male to reach adulthood in the family in 1985 with Hisahito the youngest of the 16-member all-adult Imperial Family.

The pair are the only two male heirs who are younger than Naruhito and the shortage of male successors reflecs current Japanese society's rapidly aging and shrinking population.

Historians believe the monarchy has existed for 1,500 years. Previously female succession to the throne had been permitted, with Japan having eight female emperors in its history.

Emperor Gosakuramachi most recently ruled between 1762-1770 but none of the female emperors produced an heir during their reign.

In 1889, succession became legally limited to males by the prewar Constitution and the postwar 1947 Imperial House Law sought to preserve conservative prewar family values, further entrenching male-only succession.

Royal succession debate rages on

Japan has debated the royal succession for decades and a key government panel recommended in 2005 that it should pass to the oldest child regardless of sex.

It appeared to pave the way for the emperor's daughter to rise to the Chrysanthemum Throne, but Hisahito's birth the following year shut down the debate once again.

Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, cannot be her father's successor even though she is supported by much of the public as a future monarch.

However, conservatives are now pushing for the royal household to bring distant male relatives back to the fold.

In January 2022 a conservative panel of experts proposed adopting male descendants from now-defunct distant royal families to continue the male lineage.

While the same panel called on the government to maintain its male-only succession, they called for female members to be able keep their royal status after marriage and continue their official duties.

Currently, royal daughters are forced to leave the family after marriage.

Hisahito's sister, Mako, moved to the United States after she married her university boyfriend Kei Komuro.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah