Akishino Family's Strange Trajectory of ‘Privileged Admission'

 

 

It seems that Prince Hisahito, the only son of the Akishino family, has already been accepted to Tsukuba University High School (Tsukufu), according to a report in the January 20 edition of Shukan Bunshun.

 

According to the report, Hisahito took the entrance examination for the school through a "Affiliated School Admission System" between the school and Ochanomizu University Junior High School, and was notified of his acceptance in the first half of January. The announcement of his acceptance by the Imperial Household Agency is expected to be made in mid-February, the same time as the announcement of acceptance for the general entrance examination so that the public can’t know whether he used the special system or not.

 

According to the article, the aim of the parents, Akishino and his wife, is to get a recommendation to enter the University of Tokyo (UOT) through Tsukufu. The following is from the article:

 

One of the parents at Ochanomizu told us, "At Ochanomizu, it was known that the couple wanted to go to UOT.

In Ochanomizu, it was said mainly by parents close to Prince Akishino, that Prince and Princess Akishino wanted to have him to go to UOT. It was also said that 'they have a blueprint for entering the UOT by recommendation.’”

Even among the couple, Princess Kiko has been considered to be the one who has been pushing the "UOT Project" in particular. There is a story that suggests Kiko's interest in the “entering UOT"

There is a story that suggests Kiko's interest in the "entrance examination" for the UOT: "When Prince Akishino became the heir to the throne, the number of staff was increased. When they were selecting new staff members to be hired, Kiko showed a strong interest in a person who had studied at Tsukufu High School and then at UOT. This person was actually hired as a staff member.

 

It is impossible to get recommended admission to UOT from Tsukufu unless you have excellent grades or remarkable achievements in school activities. The image of "examination by privilege" is inevitably attached to the fact that Hisahito seeks other ways to enter than through the general entrance examination.

 

Hisahito's older sister, Kako, has a precedent of following a "special" process of going to school.

 

As is well known, the Akishino family has been "free" in choosing where to go to school, without being bound by the Gakushuin, the traditional school for the imperial family. Hisahito's eldest sister, Mako, was the first to do so, and was admitted to International Christian University (ICU).

 

And in the case of Princess Kako, who is known for her love of dancing, from the time she was a student at Gakushuin Junior High School, she had her eyes set on a university other than Gakushuin.

 

The following is from the same article:

 

“Kako had applied to a famous private university and to the faculty of education at a national university in Tokyo, and Prince Akishino, who was informed of her choice of schools just before the entrance examination, had been supporting her. But she didn't pass the exam, so she went on to study at Gakushuin University, but dropped out after just over a year. “ said the journalist.

 

In addition, Gakushuin University, where Kako once went on to higher education, hurriedly established a new faculty of education for Kako, however, Kako dropped out, and the faculty that had been created went to waste.

 

Hisahito's case is even more "special" from an early age. He is the first "future emperor" to have never studied at Gakushuin since he was born. He was enrolled in a kindergarten attached to Ochanomizu Women's University, an elite kindergarten known for its tough entrance examinations, using the special admission system for children of faculty members, since his mother, Kiko, is a special researcher at the university.

 

Officially, Prince and Princess Akishino told the kindergarten, "We want to raise her normally. It is said that they requested the kindergarten to "raise the child in a normal way and not to give her any special treatment," but no matter how you look at it, it is not "normal."

 

Note: In the first place, Hisahito's daily life and behavior have not been made public, and he is rather known for his odd behavior, such as during rituals.

 

Recently, the government's advisory panel on the stable succession to the throne presented a report to the government that the succession of the throne from Prince Akishino to Prince Hisahito must not be allowed to go unchallenged. At this rate, the Japanese people are likely to be crowned with a strange male emperor of "male line", of whom are clothed in the hollow academic background of graduates from “University of Tokyo.”