# Imperial Household Council

The Imperial Household Council (皇室会議, Kōshitsu Kaigi) is a ten-member body to approve the statutory matters on the Imperial House of Japan. The Council was established in 1947, when the current Imperial Household Law took effect.

## Functions

The Imperial Household Law provides that the Council shall be summoned by the prime minister to approve of:
* Marriage of any male member of the Imperial Family (Article X)
* Forfeiture of the Imperial status of a member of the Imperial Family (Articles XI, XIII and XIV)
* Changing of the order of succession of an heir who suffers from incurable disease (Article III)
* Regency (Articles XVI, XVIII and XX)
The Imperial Household Council has been convoked eight times hitherto. At each time, the Council meeting was headed by the Prime Minister and gave a unanimous consent and approval to the agenda.

### Forfeiture of the Imperial status

Fifty-one members lost their Imperial status in 1947 with an approval of the Council.

### Approval of marriage

The Council has discussed and approved of six marriages since its establishment.
| Date of approval | Marriage between |
| 27 November 1958 | Prince Akihito and Michiko Shōda |
| 28 February 1964 | Prince Masahito and Hanako Tsugaru |
| 18 April 1980 | Prince Tomohito and Nobuko Asō |
| 1 August 1984 | Prince Norihito and Hisako Tottori |
| 12 September 1989 | Prince Fumihito and Kiko Kawashima |
| 19 January 1993 | Prince Naruhito and Masako Owada |
No princess of the blood needs a marriage approval unless she marries a member of the Imperial House, because she will automatically become a commoner upon marriage and her husband will never be a member of the Imperial House under the rule of patrilineal succession. Seven princesses have married without the Council's approval since it was established.

### Imperial abdication

In the summer of 2016, the aged Emperor Akihito indicated his desire to retire, leading to special legislation permitting the first abdication in over two centuries. The council met in December 2017 to formalize how and when the event would take place.

## Members of the Imperial Household Council

Article XXVIII of the Imperial Household Law provides that the Imperial Household Council shall consist of:
* Two members of the imperial family
* Prime minister
* The speaker and vice-speaker of the House of Representatives
* The president and vice-president of the House of Councillors
* Grand steward of the Imperial Household Agency
* Chief justice and one other justice of the Supreme Court
Article XXX of the Imperial Household Law provides that other ten members shall be appointed as reserve members of the Council:
* Minister of state - in most cases, chief cabinet secretary
* Two members of the Imperial Family
* Two members of the House of Representatives
* Two members of the House of Councillors
* An official of the Imperial Household Agency - in most cases, Vice-Grand Steward
* Two justices of the Supreme Court

### Incumbent members of the Council in order of precedence

* Fumihito, Crown Prince Akishino
* Hanako, Princess Hitachi
* Fukushiro Nukaga, Speaker of the House of Representatives
* Kōichirō Genba Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives
* Masakazu Sekiguchi, President of the House of Councillors
* Hiroyuki Nagahama, Vice President of the House of Councillors
* Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister
* Shinichirō Yamamoto, Grand Steward
* Yukihiko Imasaki, Chief Justice of Japan
* Ryuko Sakurai, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan
The reserve members are as follows:
* Hisako, Princess Takamado
* Kiko, Princess Akishino
* Bunmei Ibuki
* Takahiro Yokomichi
* Seiko Hashimoto, member of the House of Councillors
* Yoshio Hachiro
* Tarō Asō, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
* Yasuhiko Nishimura
* Kiyoko Okabe
* Takehiko Ōtani

### Kōzoku Giin (Imperial Representative)

Kōzoku Giin (皇族議員), literally Imperial Representative, refers to the Imperial Family members elected as members of the Imperial Household Council by mutual election among the adult members of the Imperial Family excluding the emperor. They vote to elect two reserve members from the imperial family in the same way.
| Term of office starts on | Members | Members | Reserve members | Reserve members |
| 16 September 1947 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu |
| 16 September 1951 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Atsuko, Princess Yori (until 10 October 1952) |
| (12 October 1952) | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu |
| 16 September 1955 | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa |
| 16 September 1959 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu |
| 16 September 1963 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Akihito, Crown Prince |
| 16 September 1967 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Akihito, Crown Prince |
| 16 September 1971 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Akihito, Crown Prince |
| 16 September 1975 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Akihito, Crown Prince |
| 16 September 1979 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Akihito, Crown Prince |
| 16 September 1983 | Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu (died on 3 February 1987) | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu | Akihito, Crown Prince |
| 16 September 1987 | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Akihito, Crown Prince (enthroned on 7 January 1989) | Masahito, Prince Hitachi | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu |
| (5 September 1989) | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Masahito, Prince Hitachi | (vacant) | Setsuko, Princess Chichibu |
| 16 September 1991 | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Masahito, Prince Hitachi | Naruhito, Crown Prince |
| 16 September 1995 | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Masahito, Prince Hitachi | Naruhito, Crown Prince |
| 16 September 1999 | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Naruhito, Crown Prince | Masahito, Prince Hitachi |
| 16 September 2003 | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Masahito, Prince Hitachi | Hanako, Princess Hitachi |
| 16 September 2007 | Masahito, Prince Hitachi | Hanako, Princess Hitachi | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Fumihito, Prince Akishino |
| 16 September 2011 | Masahito, Prince Hitachi | Hanako, Princess Hitachi | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Fumihito, Prince Akishino |
| 16 September 2015 | Fumihito, Prince Akishino | Hanako, Princess Hitachi | Masahito, Prince Hitachi | Kiko, Princess Akishino |
| 16 September 2019 | Fumihito, Crown Prince Akishino | Hanako, Princess Hitachi | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Kiko, Crown Princess Akishino |
| 7 September 2023 | Fumihito, Crown Prince Akishino | Hanako, Princess Hitachi | Kiko, Crown Princess Akishino | Hisako, Princess Takamado |
Princess Yori ceased to be a reserve member of the Council because she married on 10 October 1952 and thus became a commoner. Princess Takamatsu became a reserve member in replacement for her.

#### Recent elections

On 3 September 2003, Prince Mikasa was reelected to his fifteenth consecutive term of office since the Council's establishment. Crown Prince Naruhito was voted out. It was for the first time since 1963 that the crown prince was not elected as a member or reserve member of the Council.
On 5 September 2007, Empress Michiko, six princes and nine princesses voted to elect Prince and Princess Hitachi as members of the Council, and Princess Mikasa and Prince Akishino as reserve members. Prince Mikasa was reported to have excused himself for his old age in advance. Crown Prince Naruhito was not elected again while his brother, Prince Akishino was voted in for the first time. The next election was in September 2011.
On 7 September 2011, the regular election was held by the 18 adult members of the imperial family. This time the elections were not held at the Imperial Palace, but in an Agency conference room to reduce energy consumption. Both the members and reserve members were re-elected.