Crown prince hopes female imperial members' opinions are heard

Crown Prince Fumihito, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, said ahead of his 59th birthday on Saturday that the opinions of female royal members must be heard as lawmakers consider allowing them to retain their imperial status even after they marry a commoner.

The crown prince made the remarks to reporters in Tokyo earlier in the week following an interim report compiled by ruling and opposition parties in September, in which they said such female members should be allowed to keep their imperial status as a way to address the shrinking royal household.

"At least some responsible officials of the Imperial Household Agency, which supports the livelihood and duties of the royal members, need to understand and be aware of what thoughts the (female) members concerned have," the crown prince said.

"The relevant imperial family members are real live persons. What kind of situation will they be in?" the crown prince said, while declining to comment on the country's imperial household system.

Japan's 1947 Imperial House Law requires female members to leave the imperial family upon marriage to a commoner, and a government panel in 2021 concluded that the provision was the reason why the number of imperial family members has been dwindling. The current total stands at 16, with 11 of them women.

Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Crown Princess Kiko, 58, have 18-year-old Prince Hisahito, who is second-in-line to the Chrysanthemum Throne and two daughters -- former Princess Mako, 33, who married her university sweetheart in 2021, and Princess Kako, 29.

The crown prince said he had not really talked with Princess Kako about her marriage plans.

Over posts on the internet that could be regarded as harsh criticism of the crown prince's family, he said, "In general, from a perspective of the party concerned, I presume that (such information) could be taken as bullying rather than a harsh criticism."

Prince Hisahito's 18th birthday in September marked the first time a male member of Japan's imperial family had reached adulthood in around 39 years following the crown prince himself. And the crown prince said the development still "has not sunk in."

"I want (him) to carefully work on each task he is involved in, one by one," he said.

Regarding his mother, the 90-year-old former Empress Michiko, who successfully underwent surgery for a broken right femur in October, the crown prince said "I think rehabilitation is hard work, but I hope she will recover and stay healthy."

The crown prince also said he feels "extremely lonesome" following the death of Princess Yuriko, his great-aunt and the oldest member of the imperial family, who died aged 101 on Nov 15.

Regarding notable events of the past year, the crown prince mentioned the massive New Year's Day earthquake on the Noto Peninsula in central Japan, which was also hit by torrential rains in September. He mourned for the victims and hoped for a quick recovery for the area.

The crown prince also said he was "deeply moved" when this year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors, also known as the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organization.

He lamented Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the conflict between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel in Gaza, saying, "I am very sorry for the loss of so many people."

© KYODO