Most leaders of the ruling and opposition parties who spoke up Sunday supported revising the current male-only succession rules of the Imperial family, which resurfaced in the public spotlight after the Crown Princess gave birth to a girl Saturday.
Many, however, predicted there will be obstacles -- such as legal issues and opposition from the more conservative quarters of the Diet -- to actually getting the law changed.
Hiromu Nonaka, a Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight, told a Fuji TV morning program, "The government is pursuing equal participation of men and women in society, and (a reigning empress) is not uncommon in other countries."