The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met to review Japan’s policies on women, in which it also was addressed Salic Law with which the Japanese Imperial House.
This meeting took place in the middle of this month in Geneva, Switzerland, in which a demand was made to review the Civil Code of that country since it requires couples to have the same surname when getting married. And, generally, it is women who end up adopting their husbands’.
The UN asks to review the Salic Law of the Imperial House of Japan
A panel made up of 23 experts is in charge of reviewing compliance with the gender policies that 189 countries have signed, including Japan, which did so in 1985. While these regulations are intended to eliminate any form of discrimination against women and correct gender inequalities.
And it was precisely this panel that recommended that attention be paid to the Salic law, since it does not allow the women of the Imperial Family may one day become empresses. However, these recommendations from the UN committee do not have a legal nature, so it is not a request that is mandatory to follow in the Japanese country.
On the other hand, a representative of the Japanese government, Keiko Okada, has already advanced this issue; it is not appropriate to discuss it in a committee, since “the standard has public support thanks to its history and tradition.” Although the Japanese population is also beginning to put strong pressure on this issue since a good sector of the country’s society does not welcome the fact that this measure exists in 2024.
However, the fact that this rule is still in force has put Japanese royalty in danger since there are currently very few male members who can inherit the Chrysanthemum throne.
What does the Salic law consist of?
This ancient norm is a legal principle that historically has excluded women from the succession to the throne or from the inheritance of certain noble titles. It originated in medieval Europe and is based on the premise that only males can inherit.
While its name is due to the Germanic people of the Salians (in Latin, Salii), who inhabited the region of Friesland, in present-day Germany. This town was one of the first to adopt and promulgate this type of succession law, which later spread to other regions of Europe through the Franks, who were responsible for popularizing it.
Currently, there are very few countries that continue to be governed by Salic law, such as Japan, the principalities of Monaco and Liechtenstein, as well as Brunei, Bhutan, Cambodia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Arabia Saudi, and Thailand. All of them with systems in which they give preference to men.
