Japanese Imperial Family Today

  The Komuro Affair and Hisahito   This time I talk about Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino, at second place in succession to the throne. And this may be related to Komuro problem, since not small number of people here believes that Mako and Komuro hold some secret about IHA or Akishino family, and this is why they can promote their marriage despite all criticisms. In that case, the most likely secret is that about Hisahito. Also, this is an important topic if you have conversation about JIF with your Japanese business partner. You have to act as well-informed. It could explain the background of “ 85% favor for female emperor ” to some extent. Memo to Tie Up Press Hisahito has been perfectly raised behind the “ chrysanthemum curtain ” . His coverage has been strongly ‘ tied up ’ by the Imperial Household Agency using a ‘ memo ’  distributed to the press two years after his birth. Being never reported in newspapers, it was revealed in ...

    No Change in Current Order of Succession to Throne   On June 7, the Japanese government held the fifth hearing of experts at the advisory panel to discuss a stable succession to the throne, thus completing the entire hearing schedule. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/pickup/6395455   According to media reports, the government will not change the current order of succession to the throne, with Prince Akishino in first place and his eldest son, Prince Eugene, in second place. As a future issue, the government will discuss the pros and cons of a female or female line emperor. They will take into account the intentions of each party and aim to reach a consensus by autumn.   At the hearing, four experts on culture, the performing arts, and Shintoism gave their opinions. All four were cautious about the eligibility of the female line, which has the emperor's blood only on the mother's side, to succeed to the throne, but all four were positive about the res...

  Can They Perform ‘Nousai no gi‘?   Princess Mako and Komuro are still in the position of being unofficially engaged, but if they become officially engaged, they will have to go through the "Nousai no gi".   However, due to cost and other aspects, it would be difficult to do this in reality. Mako's father, Prince Akishino, said at his birthday press conference last November that he approves of their marriage, but also said that "marriage is not the same as engagement," suggesting that even if they were to get married, they would not be in a position to perform the Nousai ceremony.   The formal betrothal ceremony of the Japanese Imperial Family is called Nousai-no-gi (i.e. Rite of Offering). It is said to have been handed down as far back as the time of Emperor Nintoku (end of the 4th century to the early 5th century), and this became the origin of the Yuino, which is also performed by common people.   To put it simply, yuno is a ceremony in ...

  Distrust of Mako Erupted in the Wake of Komuro Documents   In the midst of her marriage problems with Komuro, Mako is also rapidly losing her reputation.   It was triggered by the April 9 press conference of Takaharu Kachi, the Imperial Heir Apparent.   https://dot.asahi.com/dot/2021041500036.html?page=1   The day before, on April 8, Komuro released a 28-page document explaining his financial troubles. The contents of the document drew a roar of criticism from the public. The following day was Friday's regular press conference.   Mr. Kachi spoke about Mr. Komuro's financial troubles. Mako has been consulting with him since the news of the troubles first broke," he said, adding that he had heard that "Mako's wishes were a major factor" in Mr. Komuro's decision not to hand over the money without discussing it and to resolve the issue by properly discussing their mutual understanding, which he had mentioned in his document. 　 He al...

 What is the Lump-sum Payment for Leaving the Imperial Family?   When a member of the Imperial Family leaves his/her Imperial status, a one-off allowance (i.e. lump-sum money) will be paid out. (Imperial House Economy Law, Article 6) In other words, whatever the reason, be it marriage or any other reason, if you cease to be a member of the Imperial Family, the lump sum will be paid. This is stipulated to be for the purpose of "preserving the dignity of those who have been members of the Imperial Family.   The amount of the lump sum is estimated to be around 150 million yen (some $1.37 M) in Mako's case. The criteria for calculating this amount are found in Article 6, Paragraph 7-2 of the Imperial Household Economy Law. 　 "In the case of a person who leaves the status of a member of the Imperial Family pursuant to the provisions of Articles 11, 12 and 14 of the Imperial Household Law, the amount is equivalent to ten times the annual amount calculated for memb...

  Bizarre English-language newspaper: Focuses only on debt problems   Is the debt problem the only problem of Komuro, Princess Mako’s boyfriend? No. Curiously, the Western media seems to be trying to limit his problems to the debt problem. Whose intention is this?   Let's take the Japan Times, for example, one of the leading English-language newspapers in Japan. The headline "Money row tied to princess's boyfriend may end in settlement" at the end of April this year is full of congratulations. This makes it seem as if Mako and Komuro can get married as long as they pay off their debts. (In fact, there is no sign of a settlement at all, as you can see in this article .)   In addition, there is no report of any harsh words by the Emperor or the results of various polls. For the Emperor's words, see here . For the results of the public opinion poll, see here .   What is the Root of the Japanese People's Rejection? In reality, it is not...

      The Japanese weekly women's magazine, Josei Seven, has reported that Empress Masako may not attend the opening ceremony of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics on 4 th of this month. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/3b45dcbbf7298e54ba0362a2dc87aee7e65869b4?page=1   Opposition to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics is high among the Japanese people. According to a poll by the Asahi Shimbun, 43% of respondents favored "cancellation" and 40% "rescheduling," while a survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun showed that 59% favored "cancellation". His Majesty the Emperor is the honorary president of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and is expected to make the "opening declaration" at the opening ceremony. However, it has not yet been decided whether each event will be held with or without an audience.   An official of the PM’s office said: “Because of his position as Honorary President, it is unthinkable that His Majesty would be "absent...

  What Did Emperor Say?   For a long time, His Majesty the Emperor has not said anything about the issue of his niece Princess Mako's marriage. In a sense, this is only natural, as it is a matter for the Akishino family, a different family, and not something that the Emperor should bother to talk about. As His Majesty knows the weight of his own words better than anyone else, he must have had to be cautious even though he had many thoughts on the matter.   It was at his birthday press conference in February of this year that the Emperor broke his silence. It was reported early on that the media would be asking questions about the issue of Mako's marriage at this time. However, since the Imperial Household Agency would be in charge of the press conference, it was expected that the Agency would restrain them from doing so. Nevertheless, the Emperor, perhaps of his own volition, dared to answer the question.   What was that statement? The full text is he...

What is the Komuro's Debt Problem?  After the death of Kei Komuro's father, Kei's mother Kayo, received financial support of over 4 million yen (some $36.44K) from her then fiancé during the engagement period in the name of Kei's school fees and living expenses. After the engagement was dissolved, the former fiancé requested that these monies be repaid as a loan, but Komuro's mother and Kei did not repay the money, claiming that it was a donation.   The issue was first reported by the Japanese women's weekly magazine, Shukan Josei, in December 2017, three months after the announcement of Mako and Komuro's informal engagement.   https://www.jprime.jp/articles/-/11267   In the article above, we can see from the entries in the bank passbook that the ex-fiancee had been sending money one after another as Kayo told him to.   This issue triggered various scandals involving Komuro's mother and Kei, which came to light one after another. 'The Financi...

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Mentions the Provisions of Succession to the Throne in the Constitution. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, at a meeting of the House of Representatives Cabinet Committee on April 2, expressed his view that the Constitution allows for an emperor whose mother is of the emperor's lineage to succeed to the throne in a stable manner.   https://nordot.app/772734869954953216?c=39546741839462401  At the same time, he explained that the Imperial Household Law limits the succession to the throne to male lineage. He stressed again that it is necessary to "carefully and carefully examine the issue, taking into account the weight of the fact that the male line of succession has been maintained without exception since ancient times.  [...] 　 With regard to the return of the former Imperial Family to the Imperial Register, he reiterated his intention not to confirm the intentions of the male descendants.   Since March of this year, the Jap...

    　 Six members of the Japanese Imperial Family over the age of 65, including the Emperor and Empress, were vaccinated against the new coronavirus on the 1 st of this month.  The Emperor Emeritus and his wife were vaccinated at their residence, Sento Temporary Palace (Minato-ku, Tokyo), while Prince and Princess Hitachi, Princess Nobuko Tomohito, and Princess Hisako Takamado were vaccinated at the Imperial Household Agency Hospital in the Imperial Palace. The Asahi Shimbun reported this as a story from an official. This is the first time that members of the Imperial Family have been vaccinated. (Taken from the Imperial Household Agency website) According to media reports, seven members of the Imperial Family, including the 87-year-old Emperor Emeritus Akihito and the 86-year-old Empress Emerita Michiko, are eligible for the priority vaccination program for those over 65 years old, and six others, excluding the 97-year-old Princess Yuriko of Mikasa, have been va...

  Komuro graduated from Fordham Law School on May 23, but he did not post his picture or message online, and unlike many of his classmates who live near New York, he did not attend the graduation ceremony. His whereabouts have not been traced since then.     There has been a lot of speculation about his future.   First of all, it is widely believed that he will take the NY State Bar Exam scheduled for July 27 and 28.   As for where he will work after that, there is currently no information that he will work for a law firm in NY State. Many of his classmates have been offered jobs at law firms where they have internships even before they take the final exams or the bar exam, but no such information about Komuro has been received.   So, it has been suggested that he will work for one of the UN agencies in New York.   https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/cb90a1c5dd2662c33edfc47973abc2e7fc1f084d   "Since he left for the United States, there...

 The Japanese government held the fifth meeting of an advisory panel (chaired by Atsushi Seike, former president of Keio University) to discuss a stable succession plan for the throne, and heard opinions from four experts on foreign royal families and history. on May 31. This was the fourth time the panel has interviewed experts in this field. PositiveOpinion on Female Emperor, Experts Say (Kyodo News) - Yahoo! News Click here to see the progress of the expert panel to date. The Prime Minister's Office page on the expert panel is here (with minutes).   　Naotaka Kimizuka, a professor of British political and diplomatic history at Kanto Gakuin University, argued that the current system, under which only males of the male line whose father's side of the family is related to that of the emperor should succeed, should be changed and that both male and female lineages should be recognized as heir to the throne. He argued that priority should be given to the first c...