Japan's Princess Mako arrives before a meeting with Paraguay's President Horacio Cartes at the presidential residence in Asuncion, Paraguay September 8, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] It remains a controversial topic in Japan to revise the males-only succession law TOKYO - Japanese Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, will wed a former college classmate, Japanese media reported, heating up debate on the ever-shrinking royal family since she must become a commoner after marriage. Japan's Cabinet is expected to approve a bill on Friday to allow Akihito, 83, to step down, the first abdication by a Japanese emperor in nearly two centuries, after he said in August that he feared age would make it hard to fulfill his duties. But the legislation will make no reference to the controversial topics of whether to revise a males-only succession law or to allow women to stay in the imperial family after marriage, a move conservatives fear would be a first step to letting females inherit the throne. Asked about the problem of the shortage in royals, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Wednesday: There is no change in our view to proceed with consideration of steps to ensure stable imperial succession. The 25-year-old Mako's unofficial fiance, Kei Komuro, appeared before media cameras on Wednesday outside the Tokyo law office where he works, a day after the news of their engagement broke. The Imperial Household Agency declined to comment. Now is not the time for me to comment, but I want to speak at the right time, Komuro, 25, repeatedly told reporters. Komuro, who media said once served as a Prince of the Sea to promote tourism in a locality near Tokyo, did say he'd had a brief phone conversation with Mako on Tuesday. There are only four heirs to the throne - Akihito's two middle-aged sons, whose wives are in their early 50s, Akihito's octogenarian brother, and Prince Hisahito, the 10-year-old son of Akihito's younger son. Four grandchildren Akihito has only four grandchildren, the other three of whom are female - Mako, her younger sister, Kako, and Crown Prince Naruhito's daughter, Aiko. The shrinking royal population - which mirrors the broader trend of Japanese society - has raised concerns that the youngest prince may also be the last. Under the present system, there is the risk that Hisahito will be the only one left in the imperial family, Keio University Professor Hidehiko Kasahara was quoted by media as telling an experts panel that studied the abdication issue. Mako, who like her groom-to-be graduated from International Christian University, has a master's degree from the University of Leicester and has been working as a researcher at a museum. Reuters silicone rubber bandspersonalized rubber braceletskids wristbandssilicone fidget spinnerblack rubber braceletsbat fidget spinneruv bracelet
In-orbit test of China's first orbiting carbon observatory satellite has been successfully completed, according to China Meteorological Administration. The satellite transmits signals to the National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC) every 1.5 hours from its preset orbit 700 kilometers above Earth. The satellite, TanSat, was launched on December 22, 2016, and has been in space for more than eight months. As China's first mission to study carbon dioxide, the satellite examines carbon sources with extremely high precision, tracks the role of carbon dioxide in the carbon cycle, studies variability over time, and helps forecast long-term climate change caused by carbon dioxide emissions. Different from traditional meteorological satellites, TanSat detects the concentration of carbon dioxide by molecule absorption in the visible and near infrared, said NSMC Deputy Director Zhang Peng. Equipped with a modularized satellite platform, a hyperspectral carbon monoxide detector, and a multispectral cloud and aerosol detector, the satellite offers very accurate measurements. It has five modes of observation and is capable of examining from different angles. The results of the in-orbit test proved that every function of the craft is in good operation and each index of the satellite platform has met requirements, Zhang noted. Scientists will convert the magnetic signals received from the satellite into visible spectral signals, and then calculate the concentration of the carbon dioxide, Zhang said, adding that the data will be available for all researchers.
