Japanese Imperial Family Today

  U.S. President Joe Biden, who arrived in Japan on May 22, visited the Imperial Palace on the morning of May 23 to meet with His Majesty the Emperor.   Shortly before 10:00 a.m., President Biden entered the Imperial Palace through the Main Gate in a convoy of approximately 20 vehicles, led by motorcycle and police cars, and proceeded through the Nijubashi Bridge to the residence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress.   Shortly after 10:00 a.m., Mr. Biden arrived at the porte-cochere of the Imperial Palace. At the entrance of the Palace, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan greeted the President with a beaming smile. When Mr. Biden got out of the car, wearing a mask, he walked up to His Majesty, who greeted him with a "Hello" and a smile while gesturing with his hands. After 10:30, His Majesty guided Mr. Biden to the porte-cochere while talking with him, and waved him off. They exchanged words in English, and were happy to see each other again.   According to t

    On May 11, a unique book compiling a series of interviews with Crown Prince Akishino over the course of several years was released in Japan. The book, with the slogan "Before being a member of the Imperial Family, one is a human being," written on its obi sash, has caused a stir in various quarters.   This book is "Akishino no Miya" (Shogakukan). Journalist Keiji Emori, former Mainichi Shimbun reporter on the Imperial Household, conducted a total of 37 face-to-face interviews with Akishino over a period of 4 years and 7 months from June 2017 to January 2020. The interviews began the month after the news broke that Akishino no Mako, Akishino's eldest daughter, was inofficially engaged to Kei Komuro, and the book describes Akishino's true feelings as a father from then until their marriage in October of last year.   According to the book, Akishino's discomfort with the Komuro family was triggered by the Komuro mother and son's response t

  His Majesty the Emperor will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on May 23 at 10:00 a.m. at the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Household Agency announced on May 20. The meeting is expected to be one-on-one and last about 30 minutes. Mr. Biden is scheduled to visit Japan on May 22, following his visit to South Korea for the Quad Summit, a framework for cooperation among the four countries of Japan, the U.S., Australia, and India. His Majesty will greet President Biden at the porte-cochere and see him off when he leaves.   According to IHA, His Majesty met with Mr. Biden, then Vice President of the United States, at his residence in December 2013 when he was Crown Prince. In terms of meetings with U.S. presidents, in May 2019, soon after His Majesty's accession to the throne, he and the Empress met with then U.S. President Trump and his wife, who were visiting Japan as state guests. Since President Biden is not a guest of honor this time, they will be no dinner meeting, only

    Three years have passed since the current HM the Emperor’s accession to the throne in 2019. As part of the Imperial Family's move following the accession, the Emperor and his family moved to the Imperial Palace in September last year, and late last month, the Emperor Emeritus and his wife began living at the Sento Palace in Akasaka Imperial Palace, where he spent his days as Crown Prince.   Meanwhile, the residence of Prince Akishino's family, the younger brother of the Emperor and heir to the throne, is still under renovation, and it has been announced that the renovation will be completed in the fall. The total cost of the renovation of Akishino's residence is approximately 3.3 billion yen (about 26 million USD), and the current temporary residence of the Akishino family until its completion was newly built at a cost of 980 million yen (about 7.7 million USD), so the total construction cost for the family's new life will be about 4.3 billion yen (about 34 mi

  Her Majesty the Empress Masako visited the Meiji Jingu Hall in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on May 19 to attend the National Red Cross Convention. It was the first time in nearly two years and nine months since the August 2019 Florence Nightingale Medal ceremony that the Empress had attended an official function outside the Imperial Palace and Akasaka Imperial Palace on her own.   The convention was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the new coronavirus disaster, and was held for the first time in three years. The Empress is the Honorary President of the Japanese Red Cross Society. Honorary Vice Presidents Princess Kiko Akishino, Princess Nobuko Mikasa, and Princess Hisako Takamado were also in attendance.   At the ceremony, the Empress handed certificates and other awards to 13 representatives of the Order of Merit, which is awarded to individuals and organizations that have contributed to Red Cross activities. After the ceremony, the Empress reportedly expressed her appreciation fo

  On May 15, His Majesty the Emperor and Empress attended the 50th anniversary of the reversion of Okinawa to Japan, held simultaneously in Okinawa and Tokyo, from his palace online. The full text follows.   (The mother article is here .)   On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reversion of Okinawa to Japan, I am very pleased that the commemorative ceremony is being held today, connecting Okinawa and Tokyo online.   Okinawa, which was the scene of tragic ground fighting in World War II and remained out of Japanese control for 27 years after the war, was returned to the mainland 50 years ago today, based on the friendship and trust between the United States and Japan. In Okinawa, where many precious lives were lost in the World War, I have heard that the people of Okinawa have deepened their belief in "Nuchidotakara" (Life is Treasure), and I am deeply moved to attend this ceremony while thinking about the history of the Okinawan people who have continue

  Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attended the ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the reversion of Okinawa to Japan online from the Imperial Palace on March 15. In his speech, the Emperor recognized that " various challenges still remain in Okinawa. ”  (The full text of his speech is here .) His Majesty said, "I have heard that in Okinawa, where many precious lives were lost in the war, people deepened their belief in 'Nuchidotakara' (life is treasure), and I am deeply moved to attend this ceremony while thinking about the history of the Okinawan people who have continued to suffer after the war," referring to the severe situation Okinawa was in after the war ended.   “Nuchidotakara" was also introduced as a phrase used by His Majesty during his first visit to Okinawa in 1987, when he was 27 years old, as a "poignant cry" for peace from the people of the prefecture. The phrase was introduced as an expression of the peo

    Crown Prince and Princess Akishino visited Mie, Nara, and Kyoto prefectures from April 20 to pay a visit to Ise Jingu Shrine and several other sites, and returned to Tokyo by air from Itami Airport on the morning of April 23.   The couple visited Ise Jingu Shrine (Ise City, Mie Prefecture) on the 21st and the mausoleum of Emperor Jinmu (Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture) and the mausoleums of Emperor Takaaki and Emperor Meiji (Kyoto City) on the 22nd to report that Prince Akishino had completed the "Risshi no Rite of Imperial Succession" in 2020, which indicates both at home and abroad that he is ranked first in the line of succession to the throne.   The couple's request to travel approximately 800 km by car, excluding the return trip, out of the four-day, three-night itinerary was an unusual one. Although the reason for this is ostensibly to avoid infection by the coronavirus, it is rumored on the Japanese Internet, which is notoriously tight-lipped, that

    At a regular press conference on April 14, Yasuhiko Nishimura, Director General of the Imperial Household Agency, expressed regret about an article in the May special issue of Bungei Shunju (released on April 8) related to the Emperor Emeritus and Her Majesty Empress Masako, saying that it "could never happen.”   The article states that while on the throne, the emperor emeritus did not introduce Empress Masako, Crown Princess of the time, to the Mexican president and his wife, who were state guests in 2003. Mr. Nishimura denied the contents of the article and said, "This is a truly regrettable lack of courtesy to His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus.”   The agency is seeking a correction from the Weekly Bunshun, which published similar content in November 2002. The editorial department of Bungei Shunju said, "The author obtained extremely reliable information from multiple sources and wrote the article. We are confident in the article".   The fact that

Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attended the award ceremony of the Japan International Prize (sponsored by the International Science and Technology Foundation) held in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, on April 13. It was the first time in eight months that Their Majesties attended an event outside the Imperial Palace under the new coronavirus since the National War Memorial Ceremony on August 15, 2021.   In his speech, His Majesty the Emperor referred to the Corona disaster and said, "I hope that by bringing together the wisdom of various fields and by the people of the world joining forces with one another, we can overcome this difficult situation and build a future filled with hope.”   The Japan Prize is awarded to researchers who have contributed to the advancement of science and technology. The awards were also combined. This year's winners are a new type of genetic material, "messenger RNA (mRNA)," which is used to Katalin Carrico and three others for their

  Regarding the New York State bar exam that Kei Komuro, married to ex-Japanese princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Prince and Princess Akishino, is challenging, it was learned on April 15 (Japan Standard Time) that the name believed to be that of Mr. Komuro is not on the list of successful applicants for the February exam.   Pass/fail for the exam, which was held in February of this year, was notified to examinees on the 13th (local time), and around 10:00 a.m. on the 14th (local time). The results were announced on the website of the state bar exam board at the local level. There was no mention of a name believed to be Ms. Komuro among the successful applicants listed on the website. See BAR exam results page: https://www.nybarexam.org/EXRF22/KL210.html   It is possible that Mr. Komuro was not accepted, although this is not yet confirmed, since some people do not wish their names to be made public at the acceptance announcement.   According to the official website o

  On March 25, Her Imperial Highness Princess Yoko of Mikasa Family, 38, attended a lecture on the decline of hearing function in Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture. In her speech, she explained that she herself has sensorineural hearing loss and said, "Indifference is the worst thing. I hope that many people will spend time in a day wondering if their hearing is okay.”   Last December, Princess Yoko became the honorary president of the Japan Universal Sound Design Association, a non-profit organization that supports dialogue and other activities for people with hearing loss. In her speech, she described her own symptoms: "Basically, I cannot hear low sounds very well. He also has difficulty with high tones, so there are parts I cannot hear in people’s speech.”  She said that because of her position, it is difficult for her to hear back what the other person says, and she sometimes has to imagine the conversation herself, and there are times when she cannot hear what the Im

  The Imperial Household Agency announced that Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko of Mikasa family, 40, will become a visiting professor at Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto City) as of April 1. She will give lectures on Japanese and Kyoto culture as a guest speaker for classes at the Faculty of Letters and the graduate school. The university has requested that Mr. Akira take up the position. The appointment will last for one year, until the end of March 2023.   Akiko worked at Ritsumeikan University's Kinugasa Research Institute from September 2009 to March 2011. Since then, she has continued to serve as an invited researcher and visiting cooperative researcher at the organization. This time,in addition to being a guest speaker, she is scheduled to speak at symposiums and lectures related to Kyoto's culture.   After graduating from Gakushuin University, Akiko conducted research on Japanese art collections abroad at Oxford University, and in 2010 she became the first fe

    Crown Prince and Princess Akishino will visit Ise Jingu Shrine in Mie Prefecture from April 20 to 23 as an event related to Rikkoshi no Rei, the ceremony to proclaim Akishino crown prince, which was postponed due to the Corona disaster.   However, there are reports that there is a gap between the couple.   According to a report in the Daily Shincho dated March 30, the couple currently has almost no daily conversation except for meetings on official business. The reason for this is that Kiko is said to resent Akishino's negative comments about the marriage of their daughter Mako and Kei Komuro at press conferences and other occasions, which has made it impossible to repair the relationship between Mako and her parents.   Furthermore, Kiko, exasperated, is said to come down hard on the Imperial Household Agency staff.   “When staff members ask Her Imperial Highness about work reports and other matters, no matter how we explain them, she is not convinced, but

  （The  parent article is here .)  Her Imperial Highness Princess Aiko Toshinomiya, the eldest daughter of Her Majesty the Emperor and Empress, held her first press conference on the occasion of her coming of age on March 17, and has received praise from all quarters.   Shosuke Tanihara, host of the TV show "Mezamashi TV" and actor, who introduced the press conference, said, "He put his feelings into his own words, and I can already feel, how should I put it, the strength of his will. It was a very splendid press conference, wasn't it?" "It was soft and warm, but I also felt a strong core of strength, which I guess he inherited from his father and mother," he said, describing his own impression of the press conference. She also said, "She was not so rigid in her speech as to make no mistakes word for word, and although there were some restatements, I could sense that she was trying to convey her feelings directly to the audience.   Chi

    The full text of the press conference by Her Imperial Highness Princess Toshinomiya Aiko, the eldest daughter of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, is as follows:   （ See parent article here . ）   Thoughts and Aspirations as an Adult Member of the Imperial Family   Press: How do you feel about your coming of age? Please tell us how you feel about your official duties and events as an adult member of the Imperial Family, as well as your future activities and aspirations.   Princess Aiko: Before I begin, I am deeply saddened to hear that some of you lost your lives in last night's earthquake. I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the bereaved families and those who have been affected by the disaster.   Now, I will answer your questions. I am very happy to have reached the age of 20 on December 1 of last year. Looking back over the fulfilling days, which seem to have passed so quickly and yet feel so long, I realize that all of my experienc