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Japan panel backs allowing female monarchs

TOKYO: A Government panel discussing imperial succession decided on Monday to propose allowing females and their descendants to ascend Japan's imperial throne.

Panelists agreed that Japan's succession law should be changed to give the first-born child the right to ascend regardless of gender, said committee head Hiroyuki Furukawa.

``If the priority is given to a male heir, it would make an unstable system that could involve a long wait for the birth of a boy in an uncertainty,'' Mr. Yoshikawa said.

``It's not desirable.'' The advisory panel has been meeting since January to study the succession issue and make recommendations. — AP

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