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Yomiuri Shimbun

Women in the Reiwa Era Imperial Family / Princesses Share Father's Ways of Thinking, Continue Legacies

The Yomiuri Shimbun Princess Akiko presents her books to the winners of the 8th national junior high school biblio battle championship, a book review competition, in Kyoto on March 9. This is the third and last installment in a three-part series about what roles women born into the Imperial family should play in the Reiwa era. *** Princess Akiko, Princess Yoko and Princess Tsuguko, the great-granddaughters of Emperor Taisho, have leveraged their individual personalities to support the Imperial family. Going among people Princess Akiko, 43, of the Mikasa branch of the family, teaches at universities as an expert in Japanese art and also writes essays. Last year, her book 'Aka to Ao no Gaun' (Red and blue gown) came out in paperback. The book of essays about her six years in England studying at the University of Oxford for her doctorate became a bestseller, with 380,000 copies sold. 'Princess Akiko is a very friendly person. I was surprised by how high the quality of her manuscripts were,' said Takayuki Nagata, 52, of PHP Institute, Inc. Nagata oversaw the serialization of the princess' essays in a monthly magazine published by the institute. The princess usually lives in Kyoto. She runs an organization that helps pass Japanese culture on to the next generation, and she is personally involved in hands-on events that include traditional crafts and agriculture. At a book review competition in Kyoto in March, the princess told junior high school students and others: 'When you go abroad, you will be treated as a representative of Japan. I want you to read books and learn about the history and culture of your country.' As part of her official duties, she serves as president of 10 organizations, including the Japan-Turkey Society, which she took over from her late father, Prince Tomohito of Mikasa. 'Princess Akiko holds dear to her father's way of thinking, which was that the Imperial family should go among the people and do what they desire,' said Eizo Kobayashi, chairperson of the society. Supporting motorsports Princess Yoko, 41, the younger sister of Princess Akiko, was similarly influenced by Prince Tomohito. Nicknamed the 'Bearded Prince,' the prince devoted himself to the welfare of disabled people and the promotion of sports. In a handwritten letter to the Imperial Household Agency press club in June 2022, Princess Yoko wrote that when she performs her official duties, she asks herself, 'If it were my father, how would he feel?' She also revealed that she suffers from sensorineural hearing loss. The Yomiuri Shimbun Princess Yoko speaks to the winners of the All-Japan junior high school water essay contest in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Aug. 1. When she visited Home Hospice Komatsu in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the autumn of 2022, she learned that a child of a staff member at the facility was hearing-impaired. 'So am I,' she told the staff member. 'The princess has chosen to look at her hearing impairment in a positive light,' said Chiaki Sakakibara, 63, who runs the hospice. 'We were very encouraged by the kindness she showed to those around her.' In July, Princess Yoko presented the Princess Yoko Cup at the All Japan Super Formula Championship, Japan's premier auto race. The Yomiuri Shimbun Princess Tsuguko speaks to atomic bomb survivors at the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims in Nagasaki on Aug. 7. On April 6, Princess Akiko and Princess Yoko visited the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix to watch the event and help promote motorsports. Balancing work, duties Princess Tsuguko, 39, the eldest daughter of late Prince Takamado, has been balancing her official duties with her activities at the Tokyo-based Japan Committee for UNICEF for more than 10 years. In this respect, she takes after her father, who worked at the Japan Foundation in Tokyo in addition to his official duties. On the committee, the princess is in charge of raising public awareness of UNICEF's work to support poverty-stricken areas around the world, and she travels extensively throughout Japan to do the job. Princess Tsuguko has also sought to promote peace. On Aug. 7 last year, at the closing ceremony of the All Japan inter-high school archery tournament in Nagasaki, she said in her speech: 'Even today, conflicts continue around the world.' 'There are children in the world who are not even allowed to enjoy sports,' she added. 'I hope you will think about what you can do for peace.' During a meeting afterwards with atomic bombing survivors, she crouched down to listen to them speak. 'The Emperor of the Heisei era wishes for peace and repeatedly made trips to pay his respects to the war dead in various places,' said Shigemitsu Tanaka, 84, chair of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council. 'I saw that his wish has been passed on to the Imperial family today.' — This series was written by Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Sho Mizuno, Kaori Sakaba and Michiko Otsuka.