Empress Masako's 58th Birthday: ‘Deeply Moved‘ by Princess Aiko's Growth
On December 9, the Imperial Household Agency released a video of Her Majesty Empress Masako as she celebrated her 58th birthday. Masako has been attending major regional events online this year. In the video, she chatted with the Emperor of Japan while looking at traditional crafts associated with the various places she visited. Just before 3:00 p.m. that day, Empress Masako left the Imperial Palace where she resides with Her Majesty and waved with a radiant smile to the congratulatory voices. After this, Their Majesties bade farewell to the 100 or so people who had gathered, including neighbors, and then visited the residence of the Emperor and Empress to greet them on their birthday. On the 9th, Empress Masako also released her thoughts in writing through the Imperial Household Agency. Full text of her birthday impression is here. She expressed her relief that her eldest daughter, Aiko, had completed her adulthood, and also expressed her feelings as a mother, saying, "I am