Crown prince says emperor needs to reduce duties

Absolutely agree. In fact, why not retire the imperial family with some separation incentive bonus, to pave the way for a president to be elected head of the State and run similar affairs. After all, this family is highly overburdened with too many duties and with limited privacy and time for themselves.

from a regular job to part-time job (!)

Boy, I tell you this - that crown prince looks pretty damn good for 52. Heck he could pass for 42 or even younger. He is the poster-child for the notion that a pampered life does a body good.

Not the first time he tries to raise his word to make the ruthless work of the IHA more human.

I'm Team Aiko Gets the Throne. It's absurd that women aren't allowed to take the crown these days - and before someone tells me it's "tradition", before that particular tradition was established Japan had several power female rulers.

Not like it matters since they're just figure heads, but nonetheless.

Crown Prince Naruhito has always struck me as a very decent bloke. I remember him defending his wife and also basically telling his younger brother to mind his own business a whilte back. It's nice to see someone in his position setting an excellent example and putting family first.

Kind of sad that family has to constantly say, hey my father is getting old let him have some more rest time. A little common sense would seem to indicate that. I hope the Emperor does get a little more rest time.

“I keenly felt the need to study more (about the emperor’s duty) to help His Imperial Majesty.”

I hope he was just being modest. He's had 52 years in training, and needs to study more to do the job he was born and raised to do?

I'm pleased to see Yuri takes pride of place in the family pic.

Considering his age, I think it is necessary to reduce his burden

Lost in Translation,

When is the old guy going to kick the bucket already, I want, I want to be Emperor, NOW!!

Give the Emperor the year off from those taskmasters from the IHA.

I'm Team Aiko Gets the Throne. It's absurd that women aren't allowed to take the crown these days - and before someone tells me it's "tradition", before that particular tradition was established Japan had several power female rulers.

I'm not! I'm all for females taking over but she can't handle a few boys at school running around her. How on earth could she deal with being the "head" of the country. She's shatter like a glass. No thanks.

Let the old guy retire and let the son take over and be done with it. Then let the next in line - not breakable Aiko - take over, which I do believe is also female. No need for the science experiment boy to lead.

Give the guy the rest he deserves. I was chatting about this with some people this morning (not my choice of topic) and more than half said that regardless of his condition he "NEEDS" to be at the one year ceremony marking the 3/11 disasters. "After that," they said, " he is free to take it easy".

Health takes precedence, so he shouldn't attend if he is not well enough to do so.

The next in line after the Crown Prince is his brother, the One With the Moustache. After him comes the Little Prince. ('science experiment boy'? Cruel, tmarie! Funny... but cruel.) There are no females in line, that's the whole point of it not being allowed, I think.

The sad thing about the Imperial Family is that if you win, you lose; if Aiko gets to be emperor, she spends her days locked up in an ivory tower, every moment of her life dictated to her, not allowed to have an opinion on anything of any importance, not even allowed to learn how to speak properly, if the rest of them are anything to go by, her 'choice' of partner severely restricted. If she fails to make emperor, gets married off to some innocuous boy from a 'good' family, she'll be out of the clutches of the IHA and able to live a near-normal life.

And then the poor Little Prince kops it instead.

I thought his brother had two daughters.

Regardless - if she married she's out, no? I thought that if she married a commoner she was out of the royal family - or is it okay when she's in charge? Regardless, she shouldn't even be thought off considering her track record of not being able to attend school without her mom by her side. Cruel or not, she takes after her mom and couldn't deal with the pressure of it.

Yes, the younger brother does have two daughters, but if Aiko is out of the running because she's female, so are they. If a female royal marries, she becomes a commoner (like the CP's sister). As the law stands, Aiko cannot be in charge. I'm sure she'd be a lot happier married in obscurity to some nice non-boisterous boy.

I feel sorry for the Little Prince. No way out for him.

http://danieldiaztecles.blogspot.com/ All royal families in the world, has to be updated. Are new times, and although most monarchies are supported by the citizens can "turn around the tables" and change the political and social orientation of a country. I personally see very close to Japan and the feeling I have is that it is a great country with good people.

I think in 2005 there was going to be discussion on changing the laws so that Aiko could inherit the throne, since she was the only female child in the family. But then the other brother and his wife ended up having a son, and so those discussions were shelved. Lame, sexist, useless, etc.

I just feel bad for Masako. After her life went from strong, independent, politically savvy woman to quiet depressed princess, it would've seemed like justice if at least her daughter became emperor/empress/whatever. (That being said, it's nice to see that picture with Masako smiling. I hope she's doing better and not suffering from depression, as was rumor)

I hate those kinds of photos (probably almost as much as they hated having to sit for them and endlessly smile while the photographers waited for the dog to have just the right stance). Posed photos make everything looks so staged. You would probably need a micrometer to discover the difference between the spaces on either side of Prince Naruhito.

Yes, the younger brother does have two daughters, but if Aiko is out of the running because she's female, so are they.

I don't think she should be out because she's female, I think she should be out because mentally, she can't deal with it.

And yes, 2005.... the science baby was born and all the old farts in Japan were happy... Sadly, not allowing women to take over is a "new" thing - they could. Hundreds of years ago. But let the old farts claiming culture and history and ignore the truth. They're good at that.

My dog is exactly the same as theirs.

LOL their dogs name is Yuri, lol! Nobody else finds this funny?...

I don't think she should be out because she's female, I think she should be out because mentally, she can't deal with it.

Hang on... she's like, seven years old or something. Of course she "can't handle it" now, I mean, we'd probably give her a couple decades to grow up a little then see how she does.

tmarie > I'm not! I'm all for females taking over but she can't handle a few boys at school running around her. How on earth could she deal with being the "head" of the country. She's shatter like a glass. No thanks."

How about they actually teach their girls to fight back and stand up for themselves instead of being "modest, dainty, frail, etc"....How about they actually give some women respect and rights? Then it'll be a different story. In Japan in an early age the boys are taught that they're gods gifts to the world while girls are put down. So I'm not surprised that the princess can't fend for herself.

Just what I observe.

Midnull, I agree. But her mother WAS a strong women who had a career and she's managed to raise her child to be... well everything opposite of what you wrote. I 100% agree with you and I think her mom of all people would have been a great role model but... If women want rights and respect, how about the earn it? The men are never going to give it if they don't work for it. Sadly, the women here lack the role models for the most part - and when strong women from other countries/cultures are suggested, they ignore them. Guess it is just easier to sit back and take it.

Alisasis, the damage is done. Regardless of how she turns out, she'll be the little princess who couldn't attend schools for months because the boys were too rough. Then mommy had to sit with her in class until she felt okay to go it alone. Do you think the public will forget that? I know I won't.

Thing is, hereditary monarchs don't need to be 'strong' or 'up to it', all they need is to have the right parent(s) and be born in the right order. And in Japan, to have a Y chromosome. It isn't like there's any other job description, or any kind of aptitude test. So opening it up to females really wouldn't make any difference to anyone except Aiko and the Little Prince.

The only son of the Emperor Meiji to survive infancy was so sickly he never finished middle school, had neurological problems and was rumoured to be of poor mental capacity; but when his father died he succeeded him and became the Emperor Taisho. He was more or less incapable of doing the job, but was Emperor from 1912 to his death in 1926. He undertook no official duties after 1919 and from 1921 his eldest son Hirohito acted as Prince Regent. Aiko doesn't need to be 'up to it'. There is precedent.

Due to ill-health of the Emperor, the crown prince should take responsibilities and enable the King to take rest and pave way for smooth take over.

oginome: "tmarie, calling Prince Hisahito a 'science experiment' repeatedly is derogatory. He's a human, regardless of how he was conceived."

Ummm... I think it's pretty easy to guess how we was 'conceived'. The thing is you clearly cannot understand the 'science experiment' comments. The experiment that is boy-child is not how he as conceived, but how he's being hailed, as opposed to how a girl is being condemned as heir to the thrown. Calling the boy 'an experiment' as such is not so much derogatory at all, any more than it would be giving the thrown to Aiko and calling THAT an experiment.

"Your thinking is so unforgiving and black and white."

You don't see any hypocrisy in that statement at all? How about if you called me an extremist and I said, "I'm not an extremist in any form... in fact, I think ALL extremists should be shot immediately!" That's what your statement says.

"Like when another poster recounted a story of nearly committing suicide and you call them 'melodramatic', because it didn't fit in with your view of suicide."

What's your definition of 'melodramatic', since you put it in quotation marks? And what was the original story? I don't see any reason how or why you can otherwise relate the comment you question as such.

oginome: Just admit it... you think there NEEDS to be a male heir and you abide by the dinosaur style of thinking that a man must rule, when in all actuality the position of Emperor, especially in this day and age, requires nothing more than being alive and being born to certain families. Why is a vagina less entitled to fit in a chair?

I love his imperial majesty, and wish him all the best and rest.

Let the poor old man rest! The devastation from the 2011 quake really took a toll on him and I understand how he feels he has to show his respect by visiting the sites and the people, but, he has done his duty and both sons need to take over, as they said. I do respect the Emperor for all he has done, time to lie back and take a breather!

Alisasis, the damage is done. Regardless of how she turns out, she'll be the little princess who couldn't attend schools for months because the boys were too rough. Then mommy had to sit with her in class until she felt okay to go it alone. Do you think the public will forget that? I know I won't.

Really? So, even if, hypothetically speaking, Princess Aiko grows up and becomes a strong, intelligent monarch, you'd still hold her not being able to handle getting bullied when she was a child against her? Ridiculous.

Regardless, the real power lies with the Imperial Household Agency- the hereditary 'crats who run the palace. One of the princes needs to retrieve his stones from the Imperial Safe and tell the IHA where to go. A shake-up would do them good, and earn the Royal Family big points with the population. I'm frankly amazed that the royals are as sane as they are, given how they are forced to live.

What's funny about the dog's name?

What a cold and unnatural photo. Why so much space between the family. Why is the dog being touched by the parents? Aiko-chan looks lonely on her own...

Just WHO are these IHA phantoms we here about but never see who have so much power and control over these people?

Really? So, even if, hypothetically speaking, Princess Aiko grows up and becomes a strong, intelligent monarch, you'd still hold her not being able to handle getting bullied when she was a child against her? Ridiculous.

And realistically speaking, what are the chances of that happening? Look at her mom. She's not doing so well is she? What makes you think a little girl who already has issues with grow up and be one without?

Nicky, I would love to know this too. I hear the IHA and think of Voldermort and Snape!