Manga artist Kobayashi challenges changes to Imperial House Law in court
Fedir Kryshtovskyi27
October
2026
05:33
In Japan, manga artist Yoshinori Kobayashi has filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against the government, challenging changes to the Imperial House Law. He argues that provisions allowing only men from the paternal line of former imperial branches to be adopted into the imperial family contradict the Constitution, The Japan Times reports.
Lawsuit and demands
Kobayashi is asking the court to confirm that the revised law is unconstitutional and invalid. He is also seeking compensation of 1 million yen, or about $6,341.
The plaintiff cites Article 14 of Japan’s Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination based on origin. In his view, limiting the range of potential adoptees to members of former imperial branches violates this principle.
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New adoption rules
The amendments to the law were adopted in July to address the problem of the shrinking number of imperial family members, and they took effect on Saturday. They allow for the adoption of men aged 15 and older who have no wife or children and descend through the paternal line from one of 11 former imperial branches. These branches left the imperial family in 1947.
Kobayashi said after filing the lawsuit that creating a new class system is a major problem. His lawyer, Rintaro Kuramochi, said the plaintiff’s side wants to secure a constitutional ruling from the court.
