The Japanese Imperial Family carefully measures its public presence. However, the recent death of Princess Yuriko, Emperor Naruhito’s maternal uncle, has brought members of the Yamato dynasty together in front of cameras at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to pay their last respects to the princess, the oldest on the planet. The oldest in the world. The death of the princess at age 101 reminded everyone that the Japanese Imperial House faces a crossroads: the family has dwindled, not expanded. Despite international pressure, domestic laws and positions remain firm: inheritance remains an exclusive matter for men and the challenge is heaped on the shoulders of new generations.
Prince Hisahito is 18 years old and has big hopes
Hisahito, born in 2006, is currently the only young male in the line of succession. Their role is crucial to the continuity of the dynasty, and their education and training is carefully supervised. As he ages, all eyes are on how he will handle the responsibilities that come with his position, something that his two previous emperors, his grandfather and uncle, admit is quite difficult due to the difficulty of him operating in a modern world. In a completely traditional system. He is the son of Prince Akishino, who is currently serving as heir to his brother Emperor Naruhito.
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© GtresJapan’s Aiko is 22 years old and is the only daughter of the current emperor
Aiko, born in 2001, is the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Masako. In other monarchies she would be an important figure, but in the Japanese she would disappear, as she is not part of the line of succession because current law prevents a woman from acceding to the throne, who cannot represent the institution if she is married. A person who is not of royal blood and who does not pass his hereditary rights to his children. Aiko, like most members of the Imperial family, received academic and diplomatic training at the highest level, was loved and respected. However, neither the Japanese government nor the ancient institutional framework has taken steps to enact any laws that benefit it. The last effort came from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which requested Switzerland to Japan to review its policies on women by excluding anything affecting its monarchy.
© GTRESKako from Japan is 29 years old and most charismatic
Princess Kako went through an ordeal when the marriage of her older sister, Princess Mako, to Kei Komuro became a national issue for which the young woman was subjected to all kinds of pressure and criticism that took its toll on her mental health. At the age of 29 and with her university studies completed between Japan and the United Kingdom, Kako is known for her involvement in charity work and is most spontaneous and natural in an environment of exciting and measured gestures. Her international education and personality can provide a modern perspective on the Imperial family, something that already happened with her sister Mako who had an agenda abroad and alone, but that same background, how complicated their sister’s departure from the institution. They tread carefully now.
© GTRESWith this scenario, the future of the Imperial family rests exclusively on the youngest member of his generation, Prince Hisahito, who has already grown up with the pressure of being the sole ace for the survival of his dynasty and promises to maintain tradition and an ancient structure in a world that is constantly changing. . Japan’s new generation is looking to the future and is once again at the center of this debate
