Prince Hisahito, second in line to the throne, holds first news conference

Poor kid looks about 12 and totally malleable.

Right. He along with the others look... normal.

Who cares.

Don't think he's doing much studying being ranked last in his class and plagiarizing a paper for which he won an award.

Prince Hisahito, the second in line to the throne, held a debut news conference on Monday, telling reporters he would try to balance official duties and his university studies and research about the dragonfly.

What "official duties"? Giving parroted answers at useless press conferences and waving his hands at the public? The whole imperial system should be abolished.

Hey, good luck to him! If I had the chance to live in luxury, sponging off the taxpayer, getting to play-study about dragonflies, I'd take it with open hands.

Good luck to the kid - although surrounded by wealth, it can't be an easy life being surrounded by so many strict rules.

Saw extracts of this press conference on the news, and the AI-style content, the robotized presentation, plus the commentaries were frightening. Some say the center of Japan - the imperial family - is "Emptiness", couldn't be truer. I wish he grows up to get a real personality, as for the moment he's, so to say, nobody but the "son of..., candidate at the imperial throne of Japan".

While the UK royal family seems to have a lot of wealth, I've never thought the same about the Japanese Imperial family, who are well presented, but otherwise seem much more modest. I've no idea, but they all seem very shy and nerdy and I guess they have quite a weird, sheltered life behind the scenes.

Why is he even bothering to go to university? He could just leach off the taxpayers for the rest of his life (which he'll end up doing anyway.)

the modern future of japan, with a 60-year old beatles haircut.

"Prince Hisahito, second in line to the throne, holds first news conference."

Excellent job Hisahito, keep it up and stay strong!!

There is so much vital information mankind needs to know about dragonflies. We look forward with baited breath when all is revealed.

Because Japanese royals have to stay away from politics, members of the Imperial Family tend to study biology, literature and arts.

Oh, is that the reason? Here I was thinking the reason was because they aren't academically inclined!

That's the official line, but you don't think he is also going to be briefed on political matters behind the scenes? We may scoff at his personal interest in dragonflies and gardening, but what would we expect of someone who by birth has to live behind closed doors and almost exclusively spend time under constant surveillance? He's probably into gaming, drinking Monster and enjoying certain websites like every other teenager, but they're hardly going to report that, are they? We've never seen, as far as I'm aware, pictures from his childhood of bloody noses, scraped knees, grass-stained clothes and missing-tooth smiles. He has surely had that behind the scenes, but as part of his job, his very existence, he is depicted in a closely-controlled, micro-managed fashion.

Your cousin Aiko should be first in line, Crown Princess.

Handsome Prince, wish I had his age and beer defying genes.

Prince Hisahito, the second in line to the throne.

Give him time to find his way, maybe not "The sharpest pencil in the box".

However he just entering a world he many struggle to adjust to.

Prince Hisahito comes over as a rather hapless good soul,

His role ahead will require duty.

A more hardened focused, respect for cultural traditions.

Girls will see him coming, sorry that is a fact of life.

Crown Princess Kiko, Princess Kako of Akishino, will be "peering" over his shoulder, count on it

plagiarizing a paper for which he won an award.

Not so much. Japanese reporting suggests that of the article's three authors, including a dragonfly expert and a former government agency researcher, the Crown Prince's role in authoring the report was not that of First Author. Not the same thing as plagiarism.

There is so much vital information mankind needs to know about dragonflies. We look forward with baited breath when all is revealed.

Fascinating creatures, Coulda. Japan was once called 秋津島、Island of Odonates. Sure you want to advertise your breath as baited?

! If I had the chance to live in luxury, sponging off the taxpayer, getting to play-study about dragonflies, I'd take it with open hands.

Imperial family are not wealthy, hardly live lives of luxury. They're prisoners of their birth and marriage. If that's your thing.

Why is he even bothering to go to university? He could just leach off the taxpayers for the rest of his life (which he'll end up doing anyway.)

You should probably speak to Japanese about their regard for the Imperial family. While the above is a legitimate criticism of, say, British royals, not so much about Japanese. Who, by the way, trump everyone else by tracing their lineage to the misty past when Amaterasu founded the imperial dynasty.

Gambare!

Not a single one of us here, commenting in English, fully understand the pressure he has been-- and will continue to be-- under for his entire life.

I would echo others' sentiments that Japanese citizens hold a dear place in their hearts for their royal family.

He's just barely 18-years-old, with one-thousand years of history and lineage weighing on him. While you may say he lives in luxury, his choices are not his own, so let him chart a course to public service while finding some personal joys and happiness along the way.