Crown prince ready to ascend throne but worries remain over Crown Princess Masako's health

there is nothing to worry with so many tasks she did recent years. got to give her credit.

once depressed does not mean your whole life will be depressed.

Get rid of the puppet masters / Imperial Household Agency and Masako will blossom.

What a sad story, a normal person with any feelings of empathy can only feel sorrow for this family's plight.

Leave her alone.

Exactly,I can only imagine the prescriptive minutiae that the royals here have to face....

There is nothing wrong with her health.

Her problem is the Imperial Household Regime.

Princess Masako is a free thinker and not overly co operative with this nasty regime.

There relentless overbearing discrimination and intimidation to bring her into line is well documented.

Threats and derogatory rhetoric made to the Japanese media are frequently used as intimidation.

Her confinement to the Palace is a sentence and punishment for not complying with the demands

of the Imperial Household regime.

The dear lady has a brain, this nasty regime is trying to give her a lobotomy.

Be brave dear Masako, we know you are not depressed, face up to these nasty people and beat them into submission.

They don't look like a couple in the pic. The body language suggests two strangers meeting for the first time.

But concerns remain

Concerns from whom? You can write concerns without telling any facts. Otherwise this is an opinion piece.

They don't look like a couple in the pic. The body language suggests two strangers meeting for the first time.

You need to look more closely, they are both laughing and she is probably asking something like "is this low enough?". This was all discussed when the picture was first published.

They look like a very happy couple to me. They seem to be poking fun at the fact that protocol requires them to bow to eachother as if they were strangers. Looks like they can barely contain their laughter.

Why oh why did she agree to marry him? Just think how nice her life could have been.

I hope it doesn’t make her more depressed. As a woman, Japan is hard, but I feel she will find it more harder when she takes her new role. Diana suffered so much. I hope she has a reliable friend.

The imperial family are like a zoo exhibits from an older age, managed by the imperial household agency unable to make any decisions like pandas who's extinction can't be allowed to happen as the IHA would have nothing to do. They are people denied basic human rights it's a crime and a human rights violation. But like pandas...so cute if you don't think about their situation.

They look happy to me

it seems the prince caring for her

she got depression because heir issue

now it is solved

Masako is educated one

she will be beautiful empress

Masako was not born into the imperial family; to become part of it was her choice. She is now reaping the consequences of that choice.

It was NOT her choice. The choice was made for her.

As a former career-track diplomat, the Harvard-educated crown princess is seen as the best supporter for the crown prince assuming such a role, they said.

She would indeed be a huge asset to the crown prince however, the IHA will have none of that.

Crown Princess Masako is an inspiration to many that suffer with the debilitating nature that characterises despondency.

It is convenient, and in many ways understandable to proportion blame on the claustrophobic environment that epitomises the staid nature of the Chrysanthemum throne and imperial household/court. Crown Princess Masako deserves the media/nation encouragement and above all support.

The photo unnecessarily displays uncomfortably rigid protocol....jarring so....

 Looks like they can barely contain their laughter.

They're not laughing, they're smiling and thanking for each other's efforts.

Kapuna - it was her choice, which she made after a lot (years) of thinking about it. Ben Hills has written an excellent biography on Masako if you are interested in the subject.

Dear Masako will be fine and the Japanese population should be grateful that she has been honest about her struggles. Perhaps taking a page from the current lives of William and Kate who seem to be living a modern life. I am sure they were very aware of the effects of depression that plagued Princess Diana while living in the royal bubble. Get rid of those self serving grey men surrounding the Imperial Family and Masako will shine.

Why oh why did she agree to marry him? 

It is thought that her main motivation was arranging her family's problems with justice. The cases miraculously spared them after she became Mrs Chrysanthemum. Note that convictions of her relatives would have also terminated her career in diplomacy. So loss with dishonor or loss with honor and the golds of a palace...

she has been honest about her struggles

Absolutely not. Never ever. It's absolute secrecy. She has not said in public even one word of her own opinion, and that's since the day she decided to get engaged. Even before, she was very private. The public has no idea what her life is like. Kunaicho decides of the storytelling. Note that they retired her from the spotlight suddenly in January 1995 and she did not seem ill or anything.

It is time for the World to rid themselves of the "free loaders" that are a burden on Society!

Hi coskuri, Please where possible elaborate further.....

It is thought that her main motivation was arranging her family's problems with justice.

Fascinating, no links needed,  just your full opinion please...

You have been a royal watcher for quite some considerable time, an expert, allot more than two paragraphs ......