The two chambers of parliament plan to resume talks Jan. 31 on measures to secure a sufficient number of imperial family members.

The country's ruling and opposition parties have generally agreed in discussions so far that female members should be allowed to remain in the imperial family after marriage. The focus is now on whether they can find more common ground in the run-up to this summer's election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament.

The Upper House and the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, began the discussions last May, also with an eye on coming up with ways to help ensure stable Imperial succession.

In September, they drew up an interim report stating that parties generally reached a common understanding about allowing married female members to stay in the imperial family. This was one of the two main options that were considered, with the other being making it possible for male members in the paternal line of former imperial family branches to restore their status through adoption.

After the discussions were suspended following the launch of the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in October, Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Vice Speaker Koichiro Genba of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan agreed on Dec. 27 to accelerate the consolidation of opinions among the ruling and opposition blocs.

Sources said that the heads and vice heads of both chambers plan to hold talks with representatives of respective parties and parliamentary groups on Jan. 31 to discuss how to proceed with future talks.

LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama said in an interview with media organizations on Wednesday that the issues regarding the imperial family are "an urgent challenge," and that parties and parliamentary groups should reach an agreement "based on the consensus of the people."

But it is unclear how future talks will advance as parties remain divided over the statuses of the husbands and children of women who stay in the imperial family after marriage. While the CDP supports granting imperial family status to such husbands and children, the LDP opposes the idea, concerned that this could possibly pave the way for people from the maternal line becoming emperors.

Some conservative lawmakers are firmly in favor of having male members in the paternal line of former branches return to the imperial family.

It is uncertain whether the government's fiscal 2025 draft budget will be passed in the ordinary parliamentary session set to start Friday as the ruling pair of the LDP and Komeito commands only a minority in the Lower House following its setback in last October's general election, so it is likely that political maneuvering by the ruling and opposition camps will intensify toward the end of fiscal 2024 in March.

After the turn of the fiscal year, confrontation between the two sides is expected to increase further, ahead of the elections for the Upper House and the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly.

Amid the challenges, it remains to be seen whether the two sides can continue talks and find common ground.