Japanese Imperial Family Today

    It was reported by the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 25th that the government is making final adjustments to respect Mako's wishes and not provide her with a lump-sum payment when she leaves the Imperial Family.   According to the report, the Imperial Economic Council, which decides the amount of the lump-sum payment, is also not expected to be held. This will be the first time since the end of World War II that a lump-sum payment will not be paid to a female member of the Imperial Family who leaves the Imperial Family through marriage.   　 The Imperial Household Economy Law stipulates that a lump-sum payment be paid to a member of the IF who is leaving the Imperial Household to maintain his or her dignity as a former member of the IF. According to a government official, Mako has informed the Imperial Household Agency of her intention to decline the lump-sum payment in consideration of public sentiment critical of her marriage. However, since there is no pro...

    The Imperial Household Agency has announced that Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, will become the honorary president of an international ceramics exhibition to be held in Gifu Prefecture.   According to the Imperial Household Agency, Mako will become the honorary president of the "International Ceramics Festival Mino," which will be held in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, from the 30th of this month to the 17th of next month.   Mako will not visit the site due to the new corona, but she will send a video message to the opening ceremony and will also write a few words for the festival catalogue.   It is expected to be the last official duty for Mako, who is expected to submit her marriage registration next month, before she leaves the Imperial Family.

 Kei Komuro to return to Japan on  27 to marry Mako in October, paparazzi show him with long hair   Kei Komuro (29), who is scheduled to marry Mako (29), the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, will return to Japan from the U.S. on the afternoon of the 27th of this month. After a two-week quarantine, he and Mako will hold a press conference early next month, after which they will register their marriage.   The press conference will not be held in real time, but is expected to be "pre-recorded" with the Imperial Household staff. The press conference is not expected to be held in real time, but will be "pre-recorded" with a person in charge of the Imperial Family. It is expected to be a harmonious one, with the participants answering questions prepared in advance.   "Even so, TV stations are gearing up for special programs, especially wide shows. I think the total national viewership will be tremendous," said a TV insider.   As for the sc...

  On the 20th, His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito and his family entered the Imperial Palace from the ceremonial palace where they had temporally been staying, as the work of moving into the palace was completed.   The Imperial Palace was under renovation until June this year after the Emperor and Empress moved to the Sento Temporary Palace (Minato-ku, Tokyo) in March last year.   The family moved from the Akasaka Palace to the Imperial Palace on the 6th of this month, but they were living in the ceremonial palace while their belongings were being moved in.   According to the Imperial Household Agency, His Majesty, who saw the work being done, instructed that the work be avoided to be done at night and early in the morning to avoid close quarters and to prevent the staff from getting tired, and the work was extended for five days longer than originally planned. His Majesty's family entered the Imperial Palace at around 8 p.m. on the 20th.   During ...

It was reported this month that there is a plan within the government to keep the Emperor's family and the four existing imperial families alive as a way to secure the number of members of the imperial family.   On the 6th, Kyodo News reported that based on the draft of the advisory panel that called for the female members of the Imperial Family to maintain the imperial register after marriage, it is assumed that Emperor Naruhito's only daughter, Aiko (19), will remain with the Emperor's family and that the second daughter of the Akishino family, Kako (26), will take over the Akishino family. According to the report, since it is directly related to the status and role of the female members of the IF after their marriage, it is assumed that the content will give maximum consideration to their wishes. A person involved in the matter revealed this on the 5th.   The aim is to maintain the "current system" of the Imperial Family and to ensure that the Imperia...

  Kei Komuro, 29, who is engaged to be married to Mako, 29, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, is expected to return to Japan from the United States soon, according to interviews with people involved. This will be his first return to Japan in about three years. On October 16, Kyodo News, NHK, and other Japanese media reported the news at once.   Komuro took the NY State Bar Exam online at the end of July and is currently awaiting the results.   Since the announcement of the engagement in 2017, many scandals have erupted regarding Komuro, including the issue of his mother's large debts, and recently, there have been new allegations of career fraud in the resume that Komuro submitted for employment at a law firm in New York. For this reason, the public is questioning his marriage to Mako, but it is expected that the planned press conference will not include tough questions about these issues, but will mainly focus on the "feelings" of the two married coup...

    Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and their eldest daughter, Toshinomiya Aiko, moved from Akasaka Palace to the Imperial Palace on the 6th. The Emperor and his family officially became residents of the Imperial Palace with the replacement of the Emperor with His Majesty Prince Ritsui.   At around 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the 6th, His Majesty departed the Akasaka Palace with the Empress and Princess Aiko, accompanied by attendants holding the sword and the imperial seal that will be handed down with the throne. As they left the main gate, they rolled down their car windows and smiled and waved to people along the road. In consideration of the new coronavirus, the family will not stay at the imperial residence in the provinces, but will stay at the Imperial Palace during the moving process. This was made possible at the suggestion of His Majesty the Emperor himself.   His Majesty the Emperor, at the age of 61, has lived in the Akasaka Imperia...

Mako Akishino (29) and Kei Komuro (29), whose engagement has been informally confirmed, will marry within the year, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 1st.   They judged that the environment for the marriage was getting ready as Mr. Komuro was making adjustments to get a job in the state of New York in the US, according the people who were interviewed by the paper.   Mako's father, Prince Akishino, keeping in mind the financial troubles on Mr. Komuro's side, has been of the opinion that the engagement ceremony could not take place unless "the situation is such that many people are satisfied and happy.” In light of the fact that the situation is not necessarily conducive to the blessing of the overwhelming public, and in light of the current situation of the Corona disaster, it is being considered that the "Nousai-no-gi," which is equivalent to the traditional ceremony of tying the knot, and related ceremonies such as weddings will not be held. If the cou...

      The Tokyo Olympics opened on the 23rd, and His Majesty the Emperor, who attended the opening ceremony alone, made the opening declaration in Japanese, " 私はここに、第 32 回近代オリンピアードを記念する、東京大会の開会を宣言します（ I hereby declare the opening of the Tokyo Games, commemorating the 32nd Modern Olympiad ） .   The wording of the Emperor's declaration was changed from the previous opening declaration to use the word "commemorate" instead of "celebrate” in Japanese.   The Olympic Charter specifies in detail the declaration to be read by the head of the host country, and the original English text has the word "celebrating"; the JOC's translation is " 祝う (celebrate)" but in this draft, that word has been changed to " 記念する (commemorate)," a change just within the scope of the Japanese translation of "celebrating”.   It is believed that they avoided using the word "celebrating" in consideration of the public sentiment ...

    The renovation of the former Fukiage Sento Palace (New Palace) at the Imperial Palace, the new home of the Emperor and his family, was completed and opened to the press on July 14. In the Heisei era, it was the residence of the Emperor and his wife, and construction had been underway since March of last year, after the replacement of the Emperor.   https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/2d7a7c4845e4d2127589822900d2da4727fb15f1   　 The new Imperial Palace is a reinforced concrete structure with one basement floor and two stories above ground. It has private areas such as the rooms of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and Princess Aiko, a reception area for meeting foreign dignitaries, and an office area for the staff.   　 As you enter the entrance, a glass-walled courtyard spreads out in front of you, surrounded by 11 rooms, including a room where Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress listen to lectures from experts, a rest room for visitor...

  His Majesty the Emperor is planning to attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics to be held at the National Stadium on March 23 and declare the opening of the games, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/3d8df628ee1306697c98ccf4f655877e5eaba36e   According to reports, the opening ceremony will be attended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and heads of state. HM the Emperor, who will serve as the honorary president of the Tokyo Olympics, will declare the event open. Her Majesty the Empress is not expected to attend the ceremony, as it will be held without an audience due to measures to combat the spread of the new coronavirus and the attendance of related people will be limited. 　 His Majesty is scheduled to meet with IOC members and heads of state at the Imperial Palace and on 22-23rd. All spectating by members of the Imperial Family at the various events will be cancelled, in light of the fact that there will be no specta...

  At the eighth meeting of the government's expert panel held recently, it was decided to consider the issue of the dwindling number of successors to the throne, focusing on two proposals: the creation of a female monarchy and the return of former members of the Imperial Family to the Imperial Register. This means that the realization of "Emperor Aiko," which is desired by most of the Japanese people, has become a distant prospect.   Kei Komuro as a Barrier to "Emperor Aiko"? One of the women's weekly magazines, "Josei Seven," carried this headline. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/60baabb01925260646a1cc3eae50441f9408b3f6?page=1   According to the report, the presence of Kei Komuro, the unofficial fiancee of Mako, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, is causing the debate to stagnate.   There is no doubt that the majority of the Japanese people want to see a "female emperor," and more specifically, the accession ...

    At the eighth meeting of the advisory panel (chaired by Atsushi Seike, former president of Keio University), which discusses measures to ensure a stable succession to the throne, it was confirmed that the panel will narrow down its discussion to two proposals as measures to reduction of the number of members of the imperial family: the establishment of a "female monarchy" so that female members of the IF can maintain their status as members of the IF after marriage, and the acquisition of the IF by male members of the former IF. Mr. Seike told reporters after the meeting. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/18c9859cb673eca4263d4fc8863fee4bff192a4d   In other words, the accession to the throne of the female emperor by Aiko, the daughter of the current emperor, has been postponed for the time being.   　 Based on this policy, the advisory panel plans to compile a report to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Based on the report, the government will report the...

  The statement by the Secretary of the Imperial Household Agency, "I understand that His Majesty the Emperor is concerned about this. The statement by the Secretary of the IHA, "I understand that His Majesty the Emperor is concerned," has been the subject of much speculation and interpretation.   “Nishimura Rebellion”?   On June 25, at a regular press conference, Yasuhiko Nishimura, Secretary of the IHA, said, "I understand that His Majesty the Emperor is concerned about the spread of the new coronavirus due to the holding of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. This was described as a "Nishimura Rebellion" by AERA dot., an online magazine affiliated with the Asahi Shimbun. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/841dece5bc561fe90eafd4f665e440b19e874bb3   In this article, a government official said that Secretary Nishimura did not make any prior arrangements with the Prime Minister's Office before making this statement. The Prime Minister...

    In a regular press conference on Thursday, Yasuhiko Nishimura, secretary of the Imperial Household Agency, said that His Majesty is concerned about the spread of the new coronavirus and that "I understand that he is concerned about whether the hosting of Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic will lead to the spread of the infection.”   https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASP6S54Z2P6SUTIL02L.html?iref=pc_extlink   Secretary Nishimura also said, "I hope that they will take all possible measures to prevent the spread of infection at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where His Majesty will serve as honorary president.   The Japanese Constitution stipulates that the Emperor shall not be involved in national affairs (Articles 3 and 4), and it is extremely unusual for the Emperor to express such concern, even indirectly. It is believed that the Secretary of the IHA attempted to strike a balance between the symbolic emperor system and the Emperor’s strong feelin...

Three cases of bullying by Kei Komuro against his classmates from his elementary school days have been reported so far.   (1) The first victim was A, a male classmate from the elementary school attached to the National College of Music.   A was a good friend of Kei, but he started to be bullied by Kei in the summer of his fifth year after Kei's father's suicide. Kei, together with the kid leader, bullied A by calling him nicknames, singing songs that made fun of his nicknames, deliberately not showing up for meetings with A, and laughing when he saw A looking for Kei. He also kicked a ball at A at close range with several classmates under the guise of soccer practice, shouted at A :"Don't come to school!” from the classroom window. He was often absent from school and the bullying continued until they both graduated from elementary school. In addition, Weekly Bunshun also interviewed another classmate from elementary school, B, who admitted that there had been b...

  Mysterious Death of Three Family Members   Kei Komuro's father, Toshikatsu Komuro, who was a public servant, committed suicide in 2002 when Kei was 10 years old. The cause is said to have been his wife Kayo's (Kei's mother) rough spending. He was required to pay for luxury cars, a two-family house, Kei's music school tuition and violin lessons... expenses that could not be covered by a civil servant's income. When Toshikatsu became ill, he went home to recuperate, but Kayo went to pick him up and forcefully brought him back. Shortly thereafter, at the age of 38, Toshikatsu committed suicide by hanging himself on a riverbed.   Toshikatsu's father (Kei's grandfather), who was shocked by his son's death and was further abused by Kayo, "He (Toshikatsu) committed suicide because you didn't love him enough!", also committed suicide soon after. After losing her son and husband one after another, Toshikatsu's mother (Kei's grand...

    Komuro's Mother's Alleged Illegal Receipt of Survivor’s Pension First Aired on Terrestrial TV The alleged fraudulent receipt of the survivor's pension by Komuro's mother, Kayo, is one of the major scandals that have raised many questions from the Japanese people about the marriage of Mako Akishino and Kei Komuro, along with the 4 million yen debt issue, which is the reason for their opposition. It is said to show that Kayo Komuro is greedy and not law-abiding. According to one theory, the total amount of the survivor's pension that was illegally received by Kayo Komuro is said to be as much as 20 million yen (some $182K).   After being reported in a weekly magazine, this issue has been ignored by newspapers and terrestrial TV for a long time, but was picked up on terrestrial TV for the first time on the afternoon of the 13th in the Nippon Television talk show "SOKODERAITE COMMITTEE.”     What is Allegation of Illegal Receipt of Survivor's ...

  What is Female Monarchy?   The Female monarchy is a monarchy of the Japanese Imperial Family that is headed by a female member of the Imperial Family (an imperial prince or queen), which does not exist currently.  Since this spring, a government advisory panel of  has been deliberating on the establishment of a female monarchy. If a female monarchy is to be established, it could include Mako Akishino and Komuro, whose marriage has been postponed, and many people are skeptical about the idea.   Under the current Imperial Household Law, only male emperors are allowed to be the head of the Imperial Family, and female emperors are not allowed. In addition, the Imperial Household Law assumes a male lineage of the Imperial Family, as it stipulates that "if a female member of the Imperial Family marries a male other than the Emperor or the Imperial Family, she ceases to be a member of the Imperial Family (Article 12)," and as a result, it completely exclu...

  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...