Page:Japan by the Japanese (1904).djvu/651

Rh —When there is no Imperial descendant, the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by an Imperial brother and by his descendants.

—When there is no such Imperial brother or descendants of his; the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by an Imperial uncle and by his descendants.

—When there is no such Imperial uncle, or descendants of his, the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by the next nearest member among the rest of the Imperial Family.

—Among the Imperial brothers, and the remote Imperial relations, precedence shall be given in the same degree to the descendants of full blood over those of half blood, and to the elder over the younger.

—When the Imperial heir is suffering from an incurable disease of mind or body, or when any other weighty cause exists, the order of succession may be changed in accordance with the foregoing provisions, with the advice of the Imperial Family Council and with that of the Privy Council.

—Upon the demise of the Emperor, the Imperial heir shall ascend the Throne, and shall acquire the divine treasures of the Imperial ancestors.

—The ceremonies of Coronation shall be performed, and a grand Coronation banquet (Daijosai) shall be held at Kyoto.

—Upon an accession to the Throne a new era shall be inaugurated, and the name of it shall remain unchanged during the whole reign, in agreement with the established rule of the 1st year of the Meiji.

—The Emperor, the Kotaishi, and the Kotaison, shall attain their majority at the age of eighteen full years.

—Members of the Imperial Family other than those mentioned in the preceding article shall attain their majority at twenty full years of age.

—The son of the Emperor who is Heir-apparent shall be called ‘Kotaishi’. In case there is no Kotaishi, the Imperial grandson who is Heir-apparent shall be called ‘Kotaison’.

—The Institution of Empress and that of Kotaison shall be proclaimed by Imperial rescript.