Prince Hisahito of Akishino
Hisahito was the first male child born to the Imperial House of Japan since his father in 1965. In January 2007, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, announced that he would drop an earlier proposal to change the Imperial Household Law so as to allow females to inherit the throne. The proposal had been made because the brother and two sons of Emperor Akihito had, at the time, no sons of their own. As a result of Hisahito's birth, it now seems increasingly unlikely that the laws will be changed to allow Hisahito's cousin, Princess Aiko, daughter of the Emperor Naruhito, to become a reigning Empress and thus end the Japanese succession debate. The supporters of changes criticized the current law as it placed a burden on the few aging males old enough to perform royal duties as females left the family.