Crown princess, on 55th birthday, says she is 'insecure' but vows to do her best as empress

I wish they'd give more precise information about Masako's condition. Is it something like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome? I know we need to respect someone's privacy, but it might encourage other people with whatever condition she has if they know that someone so high profile is also suffering.

I wish her all of the best, as she has a lot of important duties to full fill in the up and coming moths, years that are ahead of her.

She is incredibly smart, but trapped. The day to day life is controlled by the IHA, just to see her parents takes a month or TWO. I know other people's lives are not so easy, her life is planned, rest of us have choice, she doesn't.

Even the poor dog looks stressed out

I don't know but according to the NHK article accompanying her statement the physical breakdown didn't really come into full force until two years after Aiko was born. And her first foreign trip in 11 years, to the Netherlands, seemed to have a major healing effect. So whatever the root cause becoming Empress will at least be a welcome reprieve from the noxious combination of child rearing and imperial duties.

Sid, I've had fibromyalgia many years, and whew, if she has it, I and other sufferers understand! It is a crazy mess, this fibromyalgia. Inexplicable. I wish her well in these new duties, and think she will be an excellent representative for Japan.

she has a lot of important duties to full fill in 

They just need to project her hologram at ceremonies.

I do not think "insecure" is a proper translation of "kokoromotonai" in this case. It is more like simply: "I am not sure how much I can be helpful..."

Here is the section of her comment.

”私がどれ程のお役に立てますのか心許ない気持ちも致しますが、これまで両陛下のなさりようをお側で拝見させていただくことができました幸せを心の糧としながら、これからも両陛下のお導きを仰ぎつつ、少しでも皇太子殿下のお力になれますよう、そして国民の幸せのために力を尽くしていくことができますよう、研鑽を積みながら努めてまいりたいと思っております。”

Happy birthday greetings to Crown Princess Masako. Remove all thoughts, feelings of stress and insecurity out of your mind. Always feel fresh and happy Never allow negative thoughts to cloud your thinking.

wish her the best! she and her husband went thru a hard journey, may it be easier in the future.

Her mother in law, the current empress, went through this when she married the emperor. Masako underestimated the bullying and relentlessness of the IHA.

It is a good to know that she is more and more active lately and showing willingness to "help the prince for the sake of happiness of the people, under the continued guidance of the Emperor and Empress."

I can only say that I sincerely believe the stress imparted on her by the IHA is a lot worse than what she endured at Harvard and Oxford. And I wish her a very happy 55th.

Why is she the one facing pressure to produce a son, when it's a well-known fact that the father's genes determine the sex of the baby.