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Asahi Shimbun
19 hours ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: ‘They pay their taxes,' and yet no COVID relief for sex workers
Lawyers representing an escort service that has sought equal eligibility for government aid speak to reporters in Tokyo on June 16. (Yuto Yoneda) I was deeply disappointed by the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of the government's decision to exclude the sex industry from COVID-19 relief payments. In its June 16 decision, the top court ruled that the exclusion of sex-related businesses from eligibility for emergency cash benefits—introduced to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic—did not violate the Constitution. The lawsuit had been brought by a company based in the Kansai region that operates a so-called 'deribarii herusu' (delivery health) service—a type of business that dispatches sex workers to clients' homes or hotel rooms, rather than operating from a physical storefront. Put simply, the court concluded that such work 'poses a risk of undermining the dignity of workers' and therefore does not merit public financial support. This view was endorsed by a majority of justices—four out of five—on the Supreme Court's First Petty Bench. Had the ruling pointed to concrete examples of workers' dignity being violated—such as, 'your employees suffered such and such specific harm at the hands of customers'—it might have been easier to accept. Instead, the judgment rested on an abstract and hypothetical 'risk' of such violations, offering no tangible basis for its conclusion. If this kind of work truly undermines the dignity of those engaged in it, that would be a compelling argument for banning the business altogether. Prostitution, for example, is explicitly prohibited in Japan on the grounds that it 'violates human dignity.' In contrast, delivery health services are legally permitted under the 'Fueiho'—a comprehensive regulatory framework that governs a broad range of nightlife, entertainment and sex-related businesses. And yet, despite operating within this legal structure alongside establishments such as cabarets and nightclubs, delivery health businesses are singled out and treated differently based on vague and subjective reasoning. It's a policy stance that is difficult to justify. 'They pay their taxes appropriately—so what the hell makes them any different?' That blunt remark came from then-Finance Minister Taro Aso during Diet deliberations on the COVID-19 relief payments. Crude and characteristically unfiltered as ever, Aso's words hit the mark this time—I found myself nodding in agreement. 'There are plenty of bureaucrats who haven't had enough experience with this sector to answer this question,' he added. Japan is said to have more than 18,000 types of occupations. Yet this Supreme Court ruling appears to lend official approval to the idea that some professions are inherently more 'humble' than others. 'Isn't it this very judgment that undermines human dignity?' The plaintiff's words at a news conference rang with conviction—and truth. —The Asahi Shimbun, June 20 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Parties are still arguing about the rules on imperial succession
Japan's parliament has failed to reach common ground on a revision of imperial family norms as a succession crisis looms over the future of the household. Since last year, Lower House speaker Fukushiro Nukaga, together with his deputy and Upper House counterparts, have tried to muster a bipartisan consensus on the imperial rules — with no notable success. For months, Liberal Democratic Party chief adviser Taro Aso and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda — two former prime ministers — met behind the scenes in the hopes of fine-tuning an agreement. However, the talks came to an abrupt halt earlier this month. On June 6, Noda revealed the two sides had preliminarily agreed to allow female members in the family to retain their status after marriage — a stopgap solution to halt the thinning of the household and assure the continuation of official duties. A few days later, speaking to reporters after a party meeting chaired by Aso, the LDP's Minoru Kihara denied any such deal was ever made. 'We must reach a consensus and pass legislation to fill the ranks of the imperial family,' Kihara said, stressing the necessity of an all-encompassing pact. The Imperial House Law states that female members born in the family who marry commoners must renounce their titles and leave the household. The departure of female members after marriage — including Emperor Naruhito's younger sister, Sayako Kuroda , in 2005, and more recently Mako Komuro , Crown Prince Akishino's eldest daughter — has accelerated the dwindling of the family. Should female members be allowed to keep their status after marriage, the five unmarried princesses still in the family — Princess Aiko, Princess Kako, Princess Akiko, Princess Yohko and Princess Tsuguko — will be able to perform the wide range of duties requested of royals. Parties across the aisle have supported the idea of allowing female members to stay in the imperial family after tying the knot. However, the LDP has opposed granting imperial status to potential husbands and children — on the grounds that could lead to the emergence of a maternal lineage. 'There is no way someone can become a member of the Imperial Family unless their spouse is a male member of the family,' Kihara told reporters. The law states that only male members belonging to the paternal line of the imperial family can succeed to the throne. While there are eight historical precedents of female empresses, all of them are said to be hailing from the paternal line. Following the death of Princess Yuriko last November, the imperial family currently has 16 members. Only three of them have the right to ascend to the imperial throne: the Emperor's younger brother, Crown Prince Akishino, 59, his son Prince Hisahito, 18, and Prince Hitachi, 89, Emperor Emeritus Akihito's younger brother. Prince Hisahito, who has just entered university in April , is the only male of his generation. In the event he leaves no male heir, under the current rules, the imperial line would end with him. Calls to review the rules on the imperial family have grown louder after the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito in 2019 and the gradual drop in members of the imperial family. In 2005, an expert panel set up under the government of then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi put forward the option of a female empress and the establishment of a maternal line to the throne. However, the debate lost steam after the birth of Hisahito in 2006. Princess Kako of Akishino greets students during a ceremony with the Japanese community at the Nikkei Cultural Center Association in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday. | AFP-JIJI In late 2021, another government panel recommended a more conservative approach, proposing to keep married female members in the family and replenish the ranks through adoption. The LDP and other parties in parliament have proposed reintegrating male members from the paternal lineage of 11 families who renounced their imperial status in 1947 during the American occupation. There's no official data on the exact number and the identity of these individuals. The government has repeatedly denied possessing any specific knowledge on these families or having made contact with them. In a hearing with the 2021 government panel, Akira Momochi, a professor at Kokushikan University and expert on the Constitution, said that, within four of the 11 families, at least 10 unmarried male members from the paternal lineage in their 20s or younger were alive at the time. Adoptions into the imperial family are currently prohibited by law. The opposition's CDP has taken a more cautious approach, criticizing the 2021 proposal for failing to consider a maternal line to the throne as an option. Some, including opposition lawmakers, have raised questions on adoptions, stressing that the Constitution does not recognize nobility and that adoption based on lineage should not occur. Kihara revealed that, in the talks with Aso, Noda proposed seeking the Imperial House Council's opinion on the subject. The Council is a body concerned with discussions on the imperial family. It is composed of 10 members including the prime minister, the speakers of both chambers of parliament and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The LDP has fiercely opposed getting the Imperial House Council involved. As such, the distance between the parties remained too wide to clinch a deal in the ongoing session of parliament, slated to close Friday. The parties are now expected to continue discussions in the fall. "It's regrettable that our counterpart turned the tables on the initial agreement,' Noda told a news conference earlier this month. 'It's an issue of credibility as a negotiating party.' Recent surveys suggest a majority of the Japanese public support the idea of letting female members of the imperial family retain their titles. In a Jiji Press survey conducted last month, 64.9% of respondents were in favor of the idea, while only 10.7% said they were against. Those who were unsure or had no opinion stood at 24.3%. Popular support for the adoption proposal stood at 39.2%, 17 percentage points higher than those who opposed it.
Japan Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Japan Times
Japan lawmakers likely to put off decision on imperial family plan
The ruling and opposition parties are highly likely to postpone a decision on ways to secure the number of imperial family members as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan remain far apart on the matter, senior party members said. Leaders of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, who have been mediating informal talks between the two parties, have found it difficult to reach a conclusion before the current parliamentary session is set to end on June 22. Some are calling for an interim report to summarize discussions. The ruling and opposition parties are split over an option of adopting back into the imperial family male members in the paternal line of 11 former branches of the family. They have broadly agreed to allow female imperial family members to remain in the family even after marriage. Still, the LDP is reluctant to give the status of an imperial family member to husbands and children of female imperial family members due to concerns that this could possibly pave the way for people from the maternal line to become emperors. LDP supreme adviser Taro Aso and CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda have held informal talks on the matter since March under the mediation of Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga and Vice Speaker Koichiro Genba. Aso has insisted that husbands and children of female imperial family members should become part of the family only if the husbands are in the paternal line of the former branches. Noda has proposed leaving any decision to the Imperial House Council. The four members in the talks canceled a meeting on Tuesday. "We'll start over in fall," one of the four said. Nukaga had been aiming to agree on a draft plan among the four members and present it to the overall meeting of lawmakers before the current Diet session ends, but this has become unlikely.
Asahi Shimbun
04-06-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
Parties fail to reach consensus in imperial succession talks
Diet chamber speakers and representatives of parties and factions attend a meeting based on the law concerning special measures for the imperial household on April 17. (Takeshi Iwashita) Ruling and opposition parties have essentially shelved talks in the Diet on whether to grant imperial family status to spouses and children of female family members, sources said June 3. The parties, discussing how to secure stable succession to the Chrysanthemum throne, decided they cannot reach a 'consensus of the legislature' during the current Diet session, which closes on June 22, the sources said. In the talks so far, the parties agreed that female members of the imperial family should retain their status after marriage. But the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan could not narrow their differences over the treatment of spouses and children of female family members. Taro Aso, the LDP's top adviser, CDP President Yoshihiko Noda and the speaker and deputy speaker of the Lower House have been discussing the issue behind the scenes. The four were scheduled to hold talks on June 3, but the meeting was canceled because no compromise was expected. Noda proposed that the status of spouses and children be determined by the imperial household council, whose members include the prime minister and speaker and deputy speaker of both Diet chambers. However, Aso rejected the proposal, saying a system under which a civilian male can become an imperial family member could lead to acceptance of an emperor who inherited the imperial bloodline from the mother's side of the emperor. The LDP had confirmed its opposition to the proposal at a party meeting in May. An agreement appeared more likely concerning how to deal with the descendants of 11 family branches that lost their imperial status after World War II. The four discussed a system that would allow the imperial family to adopt only male descendants of the 11 branches who inherited the imperial bloodline from the father's side of the emperor. Although they were nearing an agreement on this measure, they decided not to make a conclusion because of the lack of consensus on the other issue. A proposal has now emerged to organize and present the current points of agreement and differences for linkage to future discussions. (This article was written by Anri Takahashi and Takahiro Okubo.)
Yomiuri Shimbun
03-06-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Ruling, Opposition Parties to Delay Compiling Plan on Imperial Succession; General Agreement on Female Imperial Family Members Keeping Status
The Yomiuri Shimbun Members of the Liberal Democratic Party and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan attend a meeting on Imperial succession in April. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are expected to postpone compiling a plan for stable Imperial succession. The leaders and deputy leaders of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors had hoped to have the plan be completed before the upper house election this summer, according to sources. The two parties apparently decided they needed more time for discussions, as they failed to overcome their differences after several unofficial meetings. The parties mostly discussed two issues: whether to allow female Imperial family members retain their Imperial status after marriage and whether the Imperial family should adopt male descendants of male lines of former Imperial family branches. The parties are generally in agreement on the issue of female Imperial family members retaining their status. However, the LDP opposed the idea of giving husbands and children of female Imperial family members Imperial status. The LDP said it is concerned that it might lead to an emperor from the female line. The CDPJ, on the other hand, seemed positive about the idea of having an emperor from the female line. LDP top adviser Taro Aso and CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda have repeatedly held unofficial negotiations, looking for common ground. Aso argued that Imperial status should only be given to the husbands and children of female Imperial family members if her husband is a descendant from the male line of one of the 11 branch families that lost their Imperial status after World War II. Noda presented a plan to have the Imperial House Council resolve the Imperial status issue. As both parties are in general agreement regarding female Imperial family members retaining their Imperial status after marriage, some said a plan should be compiled ahead of other issues. However, House of Representatives Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga took a more cautious stance and said the issue should be decided at the same time as whether to give husbands and children an Imperial status and pushed to postpone the final decisions.
