hello and welcome back to foresights TV with me esma Prince hisahito of Japan recently celebrated his 18th birthday a significant Milestone as he is the first male member of the Japanese royal family to reach adulthood in nearly 40 years hisahito the nephew of Emperor naruhito and Son of Crown Prince akishino is now the youngest of the 17 member Imperial family this event underscores a critical moment for Japan's royal succession highlighting broader challenges faced by a family that has ruled for over a million amid a rapidly aging and Shining population here's a special story from forides [Music] TV Prince hitto's coming of age is particularly noteworthy in the context of Japan's Imperial house law of 1947 which restricts succession to male heirs and requires female members who marry common to Forfeit their Royal status as law has led to pressing succession issue as the royal family currently has only four men with hisahito being the last direct male Heir his father Crown Prince akishino was the last male to reach adulthood before hisahito the laws constraints have generated debate and proposals for reform as 2022 government commissioned panel suggested allowing female members to retain their Royal status after marriage and adopting male descent from defunct royal families to bolster the male lineage however critics argue that such measures may be inadequate if the male only succession rule remained eching historical practices that relied on concubines for successions despite this hisahito has expressed a desire to focus on his high school years he has shown a particular interest in insects even co-authoring and academic paper on dragon flies from his estate meanwhile the public support for his cousin is IO as a future Empress has been steamed by the current legal framework which does not allow for female [Music] succession Prince hitto's transition into adulthood highlights the ongoing issues within Japan's royal succession system as the only male air apparent in a ding line of success hitto's future role as Emperor is pivotal the existing laws and recent discussions on reform reflect tension between Traditional Values and the need for modernization to ensure the stability of the Imperial family while hisahito remains focused on his education and personal interest the broader debate of succession reforms continues underscoring the complexities of balancing historical Traditions with contemporary realities that's all for today thanks for watching forides TV with me esma