日本皇室的历史能够追溯回公元前600年，是世界上延续时间最久的君主制。但这个家族却在历史上首次，正如路透社所说，“进入了一片未知的水域”。
The news came on May 17 that Princess Mako, 25, the eldest grandchild of current emperor Akihito, is to be engaged to her college boyfriend Kei Komuro. He is a “commoner”, which is another way of describing someone who isn’t part of the royal family.
5月17日，有消息称现年25岁的真子公主，日本明仁天皇的长孙女，将与她大学时期的男友小室圭订婚，未婚夫是一位“平民”，也就是说他并不是皇室家族的一员。
This is a big decision. Under Imperial Household Law, which has been in place since 1947, women of the royal family have to give up their royal status if they marry a commoner, and their children will not be royal either.
这是一个重大的决定。据日本1947年制定的《皇室典范》规定，皇族女子如果要下嫁平民，必须要放弃皇族皇室身份，两人的孩子也不会再成为皇室成员。
To add to this, two days later, Japan’s government approved the request of 83-year-old Emperor Akihito to abdicate. It is the first time in nearly 200 years that an emperor has given up his throneinstead of letting nature take its course. The emperor’s oldest son, Prince Naruhito, 57, will take over once his father steps down in 2019.
此外，两天后，日本政府批准了现年83岁的明仁天皇的退位请求。这是近200年来第一次有天皇主动放弃皇位，而非身后退位。天皇的长子，现年57岁的德仁皇太子将在他父亲2019年退位后继承皇位。
With Princess Mako leaving and Emperor Akihito stepping down, the ever-shrinking imperial family is facing a serious shortage of heirs, given that the Imperial Household Law only allows males to succeed to the throne.
随着真子公主离开王室以及明仁天皇退位，人口不断减少的日本皇室正面临着继承人短缺的严峻问题，因为《皇室典范》规定，只允许男性继承皇位。
To solve this problem, there has long been a suggestion that the law be changed, with many arguing it no longer suits modern times. And a recent poll by Kyodo News found that 60 percent of Japanese people believe that the children of royal women should be allowed to ascend the throne, while 80 percent are in favor of a female emperor.
为了解决这一问题，长期以来一直有人建议修改法律，许多人认为这一法律已经不再适用于现代。而日本共同社最近的一项民意调查发现，60的日本民众认为皇族女性的子女应当有资格登上皇位，还有80的人支持女性成为天皇。
But changing the law isn’t easy. Japanese conservatives seem to attach great significance to the males-only succession rule.
但是，修改法律并非易事。日本保守派人士似乎对男性继承权这一规定相当看重。
“This is all rooted in the concept of the unbroken male bloodline. The notion of what makes Japan special is that it has an imperial line that has been passed down through a male lineage,” Ken Ruoff of Portland State University in the US, an expert on the Japanese monarchy, told the BBC.
“这一切都根植于未被打破的男性血统观念。日本特殊的观念就在于，皇族血统是通过父系族谱进行传承。”美国波特兰州立大学的日本君主制专家肯·劳夫在接受BBC采访时表示。
It is understandable that some people are afraid of change, just like how sailing in “uncharted waters” can be scary. But this doesn’t mean that it’s not a wise thing to do. As US writer Charles F. Glassman once wrote: “The danger of venturing into uncharted waters is not nearly as dangerous as staying on shore, waiting for your boat to come in.”
有些人害怕改变，这点可以理解，就像航行在“未知水域”一样可怕。但这并不意味着这并非明智之事。正如美国作家查尔斯F.格拉斯曼曾写的那样：“探索未知水域的危险远不如在岸上等着船开过来危险。”
