APPENDICES
A.—THE IMPERIAL HOUSEHOLD
The Imperial Throne of Japan, enjoying the grace of Heaven, and everlasting from ages eternal in an unbroken line of succession, has been transmitted to Us through successive reigns. The fundamental rules of Our family were established once for all at the time that Our ancestors laid the foundations of the empire, and are even at this day as bright as the celestial luminaries. We now desire to make the instructions of Our ancestors more exact and express, and to establish for Our posterity a House Law, by which Our House shall be founded in everlasting strength, and its dignity be for ever maintained. We hereby, by the advice of Our Privy Council, give Our sanction to the present Imperial House Law, to serve as a standard by which Our descendants shall be guided.
The 11th day of the 2nd month of the
22nd year of Meiji (February 11, 1889).
THE IMPERIAL HOUSE LAW
Chapter I.—Succession to the Imperial Throne.
Article I.—The Imperial Throne of Japan shall be succeeded to by male descendants in the male line of Imperial Ancestors.
Article II.—The Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by the Imperial eldest son.
Article III.—When there is no Imperial eldest son, the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by the Imperial eldest grandson. When there is neither Imperial eldest son nor any male descendent of his, it shall be succeeded to by the Imperial son next in age, and so on in every successive case.
Article IV.—For succession to the Imperial Throne by an Imperial descendant, the one of full blood shall have precedence over descendants of half blood. The succession to the Imperial Throne by the latter shall be limited to those cases only in which there is no Imperial descendant of full blood.
