A government panel on Imperial succession concluded Thursday that females and their descendants should be allowed to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
The move paves the way for 3-year-old Princess Aiko, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, to become Japan's first female monarch since the 18th century.
The panel's final report on the matter, submitted to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, said the Emperor's firstborn child, regardless of gender, should be next in line to the throne.
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