HIH Princess Aiko's Coming-of-age Press Conference: "Share hardships and joys with the people as a member of the Imperial Family"
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conference.
Her Imperial Highnesses Princess Toshinomiya
Aiko, the only daughter of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, attended a
press conference on the occasion of her coming of age on March 17.
Princess Aiko expressed her aspirations as
an adult member of the Imperial Family, saying, "I will do my best in my
duties, cherishing each and every one of them.”
Princess Aiko became an adult member of the
Imperial Family on her 20th birthday last December. On the afternoon of the
17th, she held her first press conference at her residence, the Imperial
Palace, as she had settled down for the spring break from her university
studies.
At the beginning of her speech, Princess
Aiko mentioned the earthquake that occurred late in the evening of the 16th,
and said that she was "heartbroken" for the victims of the earthquake
and expressed her "heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families and those
who have been affected by the disaster.”
She then spoke about her aspirations as an
adult member of IF, stating that her priority for the time
being will be her studies, but adding, "I will do my best to help Their
Majesties the Emperor and the other members of the Imperial Family as much as I
can, while taking each of my duties seriously."
She also stated, "I recognize that the
basic and most important spirit of the Imperial Family is to always wish for
the happiness of the people and to fulfill its duties while sharing hardships
and joys with the people."
As one of these, Princess Aiko mentioned
that she would continue to be mindful of the disaster-stricken areas, and said,
"I hope that we can also place importance on continuing to think of those
who are going through hardships."
When asked about her own personality,
Princess Aiko said that she is often described as "calm" and
"innocent," and as her own strength, she humorously smiled and described,
"I guess I can sleep anywhere”.
On the other hand, when asked about
marriage, she replied, "It seems a long way off for me, and I've never
thought about it.” As for her ideal partner, she said, "I don't have a
specific one in mind, but I think that a relationship in which we can be
together and make each other smile would be ideal."
Regarding Mako Komuro, the eldest daughter
of Prince and Princess Akishino, who married last year, she said, "I am
grateful that she has always been as cheerful and kind to me as ever since I
was a child, and as her cousin, I wish her a long and happy life.”
At the press conference, Princess Aiko was
also asked how she views the current situation in Ukraine, to which she
replied, "I am very saddened by the loss of so many precious lives in
Ukraine.”
She then quoted His Majesty the Emperor's
words at a press conference last month, "I hope that people-to-people
exchanges will lead to a peaceful world where people recognize each other
beyond national and regional boundaries," and added, "I have a strong
desire for peace."
The press conference lasted nearly 30
minutes, but Princess Aiko answered each question carefully in her own words,
without looking down at the manuscript she had prepared in advance.
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