politics

Prince's remarks become hot topic in Japan

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It's about time the "royals" are allowed to have an "opinion"

If the IHA, which includes Abe as sitting PM can dictate and make decisions about the life of the royal family which includes the "religious" activities that they are supposed to refrain from, then these folks should be allowed to voice their own opinions publicly as well.

This royal family is well loved by the public, and these types of comments are rebukes to the administration and they take offense because of it.......

Keep it up!

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Oh yeah?

What about him making a negative statement about his adult daughter to the world, then telling her what to do, then admitting he doesn’t know her opinion because they don’t speak.

Oh, and yeah if you guys wanna love each other and be together kindly tell your dad to pay off his bad debts, he’s making me look bad.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

It was the most carefully worded statement I have seen on TV. Prince Fumihito wasn't acting rashly. I agree that he should speak his mind.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Prince Fumihito is questioning whether the IHA should blatantly use tax money or not and the beaureacrats don’t like it!

There is no conspiracy other than entrenched civil servants trying to speed up their gravy train.....

10 ( +11 / -1 )

"I regarded the prince's remark as a strong message from the imperial family that they want people to think seriously about the principle of separation of state and religion."

An admirable goal though I think they give far more thought to their next haircut.

The prince has "crossed the line," an official of the agency said. Another criticized the prince's remark, saying, "It is hard to understand why (the prince) stuck his nose into the matter of the crown prince who will engage in the rite."

The imperial family ought to hold a joint news conference and tell the IHA to get stuffed. I wonder if these bureaucrats say things like this to the prince directly? I may not like how he's handling his daughter's engagement, at least as presented in the media, but good to see someone who's unafraid to speak his mind. The IHA mission statement must go something like "to handcraft little puppets who will regurgitate our bland scripts; further, to break any adult who marries into the family so they too can never express an individual thought."

7 ( +7 / -0 )

a massive amount of public money

Like, how much are we talking about?

Or not talking about.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Would you ask strangers to pay for your wedding?

Why should taxpayers foot the bill for someone getting promoted?

I'm sure the current Emperor has a few yen set aside for a rainy day, so he should be able to cover the ceremony's expenses: http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/seido/seido08.html

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Royals and Governments would be full of hot air in 2018. What do you expect when you get a statement from them?

Relics from a past of slavery...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He makes a lot of sense!

He's conscious of misusing money that has come from the people.

It's the same line of thinking with his daughters weading.

The man and his mother are in debt to the mother's former fiance.

They can't pay it back, AKA bad debt.

Prince Fumihito knows bad debt can harm the family.

Sure the daughter is 20+ years old, but who's paying for the wedding?

Daddy.

Daddy's Rules.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

i thought he was referred to as "prince akishino" once he got married.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is the first time a member of the imperial family openly criticized a government policy. I get the feeling that the younger Prince is just parroting what has been fed into his head by someone.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Greasing the slippery slope back to the past if State Shinto's given more money (and power) for its rites and functions.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

This is the first time a member of the imperial family openly criticized a government policy. I get the feeling that the younger Prince is just parroting what has been fed into his head by someone.

I don't doubt that the prince is the mouthpiece of his wife. She is behind this and her daughters postponement. Fumihito's wife has always given the impression of being both ambitious and jealous of Naruhito and Masako because no matter what she believes protocol dictates that her family will always be the second family. I wouldn't be surprised if the birth of her third child was an attempt as a slap in the face to Masako.

My dream would be for Masako to get pregnant after the abdication ceremony, so I could see the face of Fumihito's wife as the Japanese fawn over the chance of a possible crown prince from the new Emperor.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

"baffling senior bureaucrats of the Imperial Household Agency". Yeah, I know, right?! Saying the right thing, speaking your mind, and saying something logical must be pretty baffling for those in power in Japan.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

The Japanese emperor and his family members have generally refrained from making political remarks as the Constitution, compiled after Japan's surrender in World War II, stipulates the emperor "shall not have powers related to government."

Does not having powers related to the government include making a comment about the government?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

You know, the island of Japan is roughly 15,000,000 years old. It's incredible. But that's not the most astounding thing. In those 15 million years, Japanese civilization still has not learned that difference in opinion should be embraced and not chastized. Now that the younger generation is becoming more cultured and educated about the workings of the world, I hope for the benefit of Japanese citizens, that this falicy of individualism corrects itself in time. While it may not be everyone, there are just too many people in Japan that are unhappy in life simply because they cannot be who they really are and just have to follow the crowd and "be like water". I feel for those individuals that struggle.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Royal family members CLEARLY need to be able to communicate to the outside world.

The Prince kind a bungled it with his daughter BUT brought up IMPORTANT points on upcoming ceremonies relating to the Emperor(s)

We need to hear more from the family and LESS from the IHA!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Just let the prince say what's on his mind. No harm in that.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It's a legitimate question he's asking and brings to light the lack of separation of church and state. He can't be admonished if that separation is papered over by politicians

1 ( +1 / -0 )

You know, the island of Japan is roughly 15,000,000 years old.

You obviously don't know anything about plate tectonics and shifting sea levels.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Why such a fuss about the use of public funds to install a monarch on the imperial throne. I'll bet if the prince was the one getting that honor, he would have no beef. Sounds like he is a bit jealous of his brother.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

@ Kapuna

The fuss is not about the use of public funds to install a monarch on the Imperial throne, it is about the government spending taxpayers' money to perform a deification ceremony, which is purely religious and therefore breaches the constitution.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Educator60

I’m Japanese and you have educated me! lol thanks man.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Thank you young lady then. :)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Akishino better watch his remarks. He keeps this up, and the royal household and Diet will conspire to keep him off the throne. Back when Aiko was born, they were considering a bill to modernize the royal family and allow female succession in certain cases because the royal family had no direct male offspring at the time. Akishino and his wife stepped up (probably with the help of some fertility treatments that implanted only male embryos) and quickly announced a pregnancy, which put the bill on hold. When their child proved to be male, that put an end to the modernization effort. For that, Akishino has the thanks of a lot of traditionalists. But too many stray comments like this one, and the traditionalists might be just as happy to let the throne pass him by.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The constitution guarantees the prince freedom of expression, something the IHA and Abe constantly try to take away. Only the emperor is forbidden from involvement in politics. These concepts are very simple to understand; if someone in the IHA cannot grasp these simple facts they should resign, or be fired.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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