into the Imperial family while seven members left through death or marriage thereby reducing their number to 19. 2017 On June 8, 2017, the Japanese parliament passed legislation that would allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate. If enacted the abdication would likely occur in December 2018 when he reaches age 85. The legislation also includes a provision that asks parliament to consider allowing female royals to remain in the Imperial Family after their marriage. The legislation however did not address female succession, nor would the provision to abdicate apply to any successive Emperor. In September 2017, the Imperial Household Agency officially announced the engagement of Princess Mako. The Agency later announced that the couple decided to postpone their marriage until at least 2020. Under the current system she would leave the Imperial Family and her name will change from Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako of Akishino to Mrs. Kei Komuro after her marriage. On December 1, 2017, it was announced that Emperor Akihito will officially abdicate at midnight local time on April 30, 2019. Crown Prince Naruhito succeed him on May 1, 2019, beginning the Reiwa Imperial Era. 2018 On August 12, 2018, Princess Ayako of Takamado announced her engagement to commoner Kei Moriya. After her marriage on October 29, 2018, she left the imperial family. 2019 In January 2019, the Japanese government announced that only male Imperial Family members would be allowed to participate at the key accession ceremony where Naruhito will receive the sacred regalia. Japan's sole female cabinet minister Satsuki Katayama was allowed to attend as government ministers are considered observers rather than participants. In April 2019, the Japanese Government announced that it would only start internal discussions on the succession crisis after May 1. Nevertheless, Professor of Japanese History, Yuji Otabe from the Shizuoka University of Welfare has criticized politicians for dodging the issue by saying that "they do not want to shoulder the responsibility" of having to deal with female succession. In July 2019, the government planned to set up a panel by year-end to discuss how to achieve a stable imperial succession, including whether to allow female succession. Nevertheless, the panel, consisting of intellectuals from various fields, will not discuss changing the current order of succession. At that point in time the Conservative members of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's Liberal Democratic Party were opposed to having an empress on the throne, who could open up