
Japan's former Princess Mako gives birth to 1st child
KYODO NEWS - 9 hours ago - 21:07 | All, Japan
Mako Komuro, Crown Prince Fumihito's eldest daughter who married out of the imperial family, gave birth to her first child, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday.
The 33-year-old mother and the child -- the first grandchild of the crown prince and the first great-grandchild of former Emperor Akihito -- are both in good health, a source close to the matter said.
Naomasa Yoshida, the top aide to the crown prince's family, said in a press conference that the family is "delighted and wishes days of happiness" for the former princess' family.
Yoshida did not reveal when Komuro gave birth or the sex of the child, saying, "It is a matter of someone who has left the imperial family, and we hope (the family) will spend their time in a quiet environment."
The former princess married her university sweetheart Kei Komuro in October 2021 and has since moved to New York, where her husband works as a lawyer.
Japan's 1947 Imperial House Law stipulates that female members of the imperial family lose their royal status upon marrying commoners.
Related coverage:
Princess Aiko to make 1st official overseas visit in Nov. to Laos
Japan imperial couple to visit Hiroshima in June, 1st since ascension
Japan OKs Princess Kako's June Brazil visit to mark 130 yrs of ties

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Kyodo News
Tributes to Nagashima pour in from Japanese sports world
KYODO NEWS - 13 hours ago - 20:14 | Sports, All, Japan Japanese baseball luminaries and other sporting figures have paid tribute to Yomiuri Giants icon Shigeo Nagashima, who died of pneumonia at 89 on Tuesday. Among them was former Giants teammate and fellow Japanese Baseball Hall of Famer Sadaharu Oh, who visited Nagashima's house to see his body laid out. "He was always forward-thinking and someone who pulled us in with his character, before we knew it. He was just a special presence," Oh said. "Shigeo Nagashima was still there like before and I was relieved to see his face. These days will eventually arrive for everyone, but it came to the last person I wanted it to." While the pair, known by the nickname "O-N," helped the Giants forge a dynasty with nine straight Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973, the 85-year-old Oh, whose 868 home runs are the most in Nippon Professional Baseball history, said he was always looking up to his older teammate. "I couldn't match him at all in terms of presence, so I had to show it with my bat. I could only compete with him with my numbers," Oh said. "Shigeo Nagashima was the man inside the head of every pro baseball player." Japan's 2009 World Baseball Classic-winning skipper Tatsunori Hara, who hit 382 homers for the Giants before managing them for 17 seasons, winning nine CL pennants and three Japan Series titles, said Nagashima was "rigorous when it came to winning and losing." "But he was nice to people and loved by everyone," said the 66-year-old Hara, who played and coached under Nagashima, known as "Mr. Giants," before succeeding him as skipper in 2002. "He was my idol, the symbol of the sport and a god-like figure. He was always shining brightly and influenced me the most as a player, coach and manager." Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers offered his "sincere condolences" in an Instagram post featuring three photos of him and Nagashima together. Ohtani, who hit his MLB lead-tying 23rd home run of the season after the news of Nagashima's death broke, met Nagashima at Tokyo Dome in March when the Dodgers played their two-game season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs. The San Diego Padres' Yu Darvish wrote on social media site X, "It's been a sad day," as he sent his prayers to Nagashima, while Kodai Senga of the New York Mets called him "a legend among legends." Nagashima's 59-year-old son Kazushige, who played for the Yakult Swallows and the Giants, said, "Baseball was his life and what he loved most." "I feel he had the happiest 89 years, more than anyone, in his baseball life," he said in a statement. "He has returned to the planet of baseball. I'm sure he'd wish that much of the passion he left in the ballpark will help develop Japanese pro baseball, even if only slightly." Saburo Kawabuchi, the inaugural chairman of both football's J-League and basketball's B-League, who was born in 1936 like Nagashima, said he was "grateful for his distinguished service that kept providing Japan with energy, courage and hope." Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Koji Murofushi, who won the men's hammer gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said Nagashima's "each word and action was made with the fans in mind." "He was a star who provided the public with positive news," the 50-year-old said. "He really supported me when I was competing and I thought he was so broadminded. I send my condolences." Yokozuna Onosato, sumo's new 24-year-old grand champion, said he recalled Nagashima receiving the People's Honor Award in 2013 along with the wrestler's fellow Ishikawa Prefecture native and former New York Yankee Hideki Matsui. "He's a legendary, historic figure with great records. It's sad news," he said. Related coverage: Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dead at 89


Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
U.N. official looks to Japan as leader in disaster resilience efforts
The focus of work related to natural disaster recovery must shift from rapid rebuilding to long-term resilience and inclusivity, and Japan can play a leading role in such efforts, according to the chief of the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. "We must stop building back fast with big promises and start building back better and more resilient," said Kamal Kishore, special representative of the U.N. secretary general for disaster risk reduction, in a recent interview with Kyodo News. "Japan has been a key promoter of resilient recovery" under the idea of "Build Back Better," Kishore said, adding that when Japan calls for action in the realm of disaster risk management, "other people take it seriously." The tag line was mentioned in a key document adopted in the 2015 U.N. World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Sendai, a city in northeastern Japan that was hit hard by the 2011 mega earthquake and tsunami. Kishore said that poorly planned reconstruction often reproduces vulnerabilities and increases inequalities. When leaders lack sufficient capacity for recovery planning, he added, they can make unrealistic promises to their communities in what he called a "tyranny of rush," such as saying all disaster-affected houses will be rebuilt in three to six months. In June 2024, Kishore visited the Noto Peninsula, central Japan, which was jolted by a magnitude-7.6 quake on New Year's Day of that year. Recalling his conversation at a temporary shelter with an 85-year-old woman who had been affected by the temblor, Kishore said she talked about her future "with a great sense of hope" even after being displaced from her home. He described her as having been relocated well, with the placement taking into account her disabilities, her friend networks and the shops she frequented. Kishore advocated for local engagement in reconstruction, citing an example from Nepal, where 900 women received training and became masons in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake in 2015. "They not only rebuilt houses, but generated new livelihoods and generated skills for people that will serve them for a long time," he said. Kishore praised Japan's openness in sharing both its successes and failures, saying the country is "already sharing its experience with a great degree of generosity and openness." As the United States has reduced its financial contributions to U.N. organizations, the UNDRR will lose 15 percent of its funding this year, Kishore said ahead of the June 3-6 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva. Kishore expressed concern that the ongoing trade and tariff conflicts between Washington and Beijing may increase reconstruction costs due to rising prices for building materials, as well as drive up expenses for new construction aiming to ensure postdisaster resilience. © KYODO


Kyodo News
12 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Liberal Lee leads in exit polls in South Korea's presidential race
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 21:13 | World, All Lee Jae Myung of the liberal Democratic Party was leading in exit polls in Tuesday's presidential election in South Korea, held to choose a successor to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, who polarized the nation by imposing martial law. Poll results showed Lee secured 51.7 percent of the vote, ahead of Kim Moon Soo of the conservative People Power Party with 39.3 percent and Lee Jun Seok of the New Reform Party with 7.7 percent. More than 14,000 polling stations opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m. Of the over 44 million eligible voters, about 34.7 percent had already cast ballots during early voting on Thursday and Friday. The winner will assume office for a single five-year term. The presidency has been vacant since April 4, when Yoon was removed following a Constitutional Court ruling that upheld a parliamentary impeachment over his brief declaration of martial law in December. According to a Gallup Korea poll released May 27, Lee Jae Myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 election, is leading with 49 percent support, buoyed by voter dissatisfaction over the turmoil sparked by Yoon's Dec. 3 decree. Kim, who served as employment and labor minister under Yoon, trails in second with 35 percent, according to the same poll. Lee Jun Seok garnered 11 percent. Lee Jae Myung has pledged to revise legislation on martial law to tighten the requirements for a presidential declaration and to revitalize small and medium-sized businesses to boost the sluggish economy. On foreign policy, Lee Jae Myung has pledged to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and trilateral cooperation with Japan to address the North Korean nuclear threat while also seeking to improve ties with China and Russia. Lee Jae Myung, who took a hard line on the wartime labor compensation issue with Japan during the 2022 campaign, said he would not compromise on that or the territorial dispute over the South Korea-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea. But calling Japan an "important and cooperative partner," he pledged to deepen collaboration in areas such as the economy. Kim's key pledges include creating more jobs, offering subsidies to young married couples to tackle the nation's low birthrate and bolstering deterrence against Pyongyang's nuclear threat by developing a nuclear-powered submarine. He has called for maintaining a "good and friendly relationship moving forward" with Japan while reaffirming South Korea's stance on issues stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule and asserting its sovereignty over the disputed islets. Lee Jun Seok launched the small conservative New Reform Party last year after serving as leader of the PPP and later leaving it. Local media have reported that he had been under pressure from the PPP to drop his candidacy to boost Kim's chances, as a growing number of young voters prefer Lee Jun Seok, 40, who is younger than Lee Jae Myung, 60, and Kim, 73. The incoming president will face pressing challenges, including tariff negotiations with the United States over the 25 percent duty announced on April 2, when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on numerous countries. Related coverage: Japan, South Korea open tourist fast-track entry system for ties anniv. North Korea's Kim slams officials over destroyer launch accident FOCUS: South Korea ousts Yoon, moves on to presidential race amid division