【Introduction】 イ I’d like to talk about the topic, “What kind of system should Japan have for the succession to the Imperial throne.” ロ The current law says,“only male heirs from the male line in the imperial family can accede to the throne.” In this system can take the throne only males directly descended from an emperor. ハ It is necessary to design an accession system that is easier to understand so as to win the support of the people. The important thing is to have a proper discussion on following two conflicting proposals on the issue to avoid problems occurring in the future. 【Body】 「Case1」 イ One is to allow members of former imperial branch families to return to imperial status. They were divested of their imperial status in 1947, after the World War Two. This option enables the maintenance of the system of male heirs acceding to the throne. ロ It is important to maintain the male line in imperial succession. It was the long-held imperial tradition. ハ But some experts opposed to the idea. They say it would be difficult to win public understanding on returning former imperial branch families to imperial status. 「Case2」 イ Another option is to accept a female monarch and allow her descendants to succeed to the throne. ロ It does not matter whether a male or a female serves as the monarch, the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people. ハ Under this option, Princess Akiko would be entitled to ascend the throne. According to the survey taken by Yomiuri Shinbun, nearly 80 percent of the pollees favored the idea of accepting female monarchs. But some experts say allowing an empress will cast doubts over the legitimacy of the throne, ant that it will be difficult to expect her to be able to unify the people. 【Conclusion】 I think it is necessary to have a proper discussion on these conflicting proposals on the issue to avoid problems occurring in the future.