Prince Akishino is Not Looking at People's Side: Journalist's Contribution

 

(The main article is here.)

Kyodo News editor Kenichi Ohki contributed an article to the Japanese online news site Gendai Business on December 12, criticizing the remarks made by Prince Akishino at his birthday press conference released last November 30. He pointed out that Akishino is not fully accountable to the people outside of the Imperial Family and is only trying to protect the "inside" rather than the "outside.”

 

Note: In my previous blog, I pointed out that in the same press conference, there was not a single word of sympathy for the people suffering from the Corona disaster, which I feel is the same root as the contents of Mr. Ohki's argument.

 

The following is an introduction to Mr.Ohki’s article.

Doubts about Prince Akishino's "Inward-Looking Press Conference," in Which He Only Cares about the "Inner Workings of the Imperial Family”

 

The first press conference held by Prince Akishino since the marriage of Mako Komuro showed his views on marriage, but as with Mako's press conference, it seemed as if the royal family was trying to divide the people and confront some of them.

 

What was said at the press conference was entirely "inward-looking" and all about the convenience of the Imperial Family, with little consideration for the "outside" of society and the public that was watching the marriage issue. We have examined the comments made by Prince Akishino at the press conference.

 

‘Slander is Unacceptable’

What gave me the sense of "confronting the people" was the strong tone in which he condemned the weekly magazines.

As for the cause of Mako's diagnosis of "complex post-traumatic stress disorder" (complex PTSD), Prince Akishino said, "I think it probably lies in the articles in both the weekly magazines and on the Internet.

 

He continued, "There are times when creative or fictional stories are published,” “there are times when the stories are quite terrible.” and There are people who have been deeply hurt by online slander, and some have lost their lives because of it.".  Then, he spoke in general terms: “I cannot tolerate such slanderous words, whether in magazines or on the Internet.”

 

In general, this is a natural view, and you are probably right that there are many untrue statements in the Internet posts and weekly magazine articles about Mako's marriage. However, the fact that they went as far as to say that it was "unacceptable" as an extension of the story about Mako's complex PTSD makes it seem as if they were declaring a confrontational stance, saying that strong criticism of them is unacceptable.

 

The symbolic emperor must have a kind of destiny that he must treat all the people equally. At least, that is what most of the people expect of him. Can we say that the word "unacceptable" is appropriate for the "next emperor"?

 

I don't mean to say that the Imperial Family should keep quiet no matter what is said. However, I sense in Akishino's comments a kind of sense of entitlement that draws a line between the "inside" and the "outside" and tries to protect the "inside" from the "outside. Akishino is already the "heir to the throne," and under the current system, it has been decided that he will be the next emperor.

 

The fact that his words will remain on record semi-permanently as "the words of His Majesty the Emperor prior to his accession to the throne" is the same as that of the current Emperor, who had been the Crown Prince. One can't help but wonder to what extent he is aware of the weight of his words to the "outside world.

 

Impact on Imperial Family

The press conference proceeded in the form of answers to questions submitted in advance by the Imperial Household Press Association. On the day of Mako's marriage, Prince Akishino wrote in a document, "There has been no small amount of influence on the Imperial Family. I am truly sorry to those who have been inconvenienced. The first question asked what this "impact on the Imperial Family" referred to and its contents.

 

The first thing Prince Akishino mentioned in response was, I don’t know why, the weekly magazine report on Empress Emerita Michiko, saying, it appeared in the weekly magazines that "Her Majesty said various things (about the marriage racket)”, and she thought this way. To add, this refers to the weekly magazine's report that the head of the IHA had summoned Kei Komuro's representative to the Imperial Palace in response to the wishes of the Empress Emerita.

 

 

 

Was Michiko Hurt?

Regarding this weekly magazine report, Prince Akishino explained that he had never heard of such a statement by the empress emerita. Despite the fact that the IHA denied on its website that "Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress Emeritus have consistently refrained from making any statements," he said, "I am certain that the fact that the reports continued has been a burden on them.”

 

Whose burden does it mean?  Since the question is being asked about the impact on the Imperial Family, it could be taken as "a burden on the Imperial Family as a whole," but if we think about it normally, it would be more natural to interpret it as "a burden on the Empress Emerita”

 

I don't understand the feeling that the fact that his mother, Michiko, was "hurt" is the most important factor in the "impact of the marriage riot on the Imperial Family. At this press conference, Prince Akishino has repeatedly stated that “I places more importance on the public than on myself”, but doesn't this mean that he places more importance on his relatives than on the public?

 

Weight of Ritual Undermined

This sense of "family over public" is felt in other areas as well. Several of the newspapers headlined the statement by Prince Akishino that “the absence of the marriage ceremony "gave the impression that the events and ceremonies of the Imperial Family are very light. So they decided that this was the most important point of the press conference.

 

Indeed, it can be said that the value of the Imperial Family lies in the fact that it exists together with traditions such as palace rituals. With this in mind, it is only natural that a ceremony in which the couple wears traditional costumes is important, even if the marriage is an event with a rather "private" impression. The fact that this was not done is a serious fact.

 

However, Prince Akishino went on to say: “The fact that it (the ritual) gave a light impression has an impact on me, and that's what leads me to feel sorry for the people who caused me trouble.”

 

　He clearly apologized, saying he was sorry, but then who were the "people who caused trouble" to whom he was apologizing? I don't think that the fact that he made a light impression without a ceremony would be a nuisance to the public in general. Therefore, even here, the object of concern and apology must be, in the first sense, the "members of the Imperial Family," the "relatives.”

 

From a personal point of view, the greatest impact of the marriage riot on the Imperial Family may be that the Imperial Family's involvement in one of the private disputes undermined the "respect for the Imperial Family" that it had been receiving from the people.

 

At her own press conference, Mako said, "Since the news about the engagement came out, Kei has never acted on his own, and he has proceeded in the direction I asked him to take in dealing with Kei's mother's former fiancee.” Here, Mako admits that she, as a member of the Imperial Family, sympathized with the Komuro family, one of the parties involved.

 

My daughter's Husband is also Outsider

I think that this attitude and way of thinking, which can be described as "favoring one's own people," is also reflected in the comments made by Prince Akishino in the following part.

 

Mako and Komuro's press conference was hurriedly called the day before, with no Q&A session, and they simply read out their current feelings and answers to the questions that the reporters had posed beforehand before leaving the venue.

 

Prince Akishino said of this, "I wanted it to be in the form of a two-way press conference, not a one-way one.” However, if you read this part carefully again, you will see that there is a difference in the way Mako and Komuro were treated.

 

As for Mako, he mentioned her complex PTSD and showed understanding that: "I guess it was difficult for her because she could have had a seizure or something while she was giving the press conference.” But as for Komuro, on the other hand, hee said: ”I think it would have been better if he had the opportunity to speak and answer questions.”

 

The fact that he consistently refers to Komuro as "my daughter's husband" or "her husband” is also disturbing. Why doesn't he just call him "Mr. Komuro" or "Mr. Kei"? It seems to me that his attitude toward his daughter's chosen partner lacks humanity. It is as if in his mind there is a distinction between "relatives" and "outsiders" even between his daughter and her husband.

 

Only Imperial Family’s Convenience

It has been said that the reason why the couple did not marry for four years after holding an informal engagement press conference in 2017 was due to financial troubles and various suspicions on the part of the Komuro family. The Imperial Family was seen as the "victim" of this.

 

However, can we really say that this is always the case? Even if it is discovered that one side has a problem, as long as it is between two civilian families and they show mutual understanding, there should be no obstacle to proceeding with the marriage. The only reason why there was a hindrance was because the other party was a member of the Imperial Family, and in other words, the marriage was postponed for the convenience of the Imperial Family.

 

And yet, Prince Akishino criticized the lengthy document released by Komuro this spring, saying, "It's not something that everyone can immediately agree with after reading that. The fact that they have continued to take the position that they are the victims and put the responsibility of explanation solely on the Komuro family gives me the impression that they think it is only natural that their position as members of the Imperial Family should be given special treatment.

 

Again, the biggest impact of this marriage riot is that it has "damaged the public's respect for the Imperial Family," and the attitude of the Akishino family itself over the riot must be the cause of that. I don't think it is simply a matter of the fact that the brand of the Imperial Family has been damaged because of the "immorality" of Komuro and the people around him.

 

In order to maintain respect, I think that the Akishino family itself needed to put aside the "I" and say something to the people, instead of only asking for responsibility and explanation from the other party. This press conference, along with Mako's and Komuro's, was almost the only opportunity to do so, but in the end, they failed to show their sincerity to the people. It is a pity.

 

Kenichi Ohki