Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to Japan’s throne, held his first news conference on Monday, vowing to take his royal duties seriously.
At the press conference, held at the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo to mark his coming of age, the 18-year-old shared his perspective on the emperor’s symbolic role, echoing the views of his grandfather, former Emperor Akihito, and his uncle.
“It is important (for the Imperial family) to pay attention to people’s lives and the state of society,” he said.
“As a young member of the Imperial Family, I am determined to fulfil my role,” Prince Hisahito said.
Japan’s postwar constitution defines the emperor as “the symbol of the state and the unity of the people of Japan”.
Prince Hisahito officially became an adult last September, marking the first time in nearly 39 years that a male member of the Imperial family has reached adulthood since his father, Crown Prince Fumihito, in November 1985.
Prince Hisahito is also the first member of the Imperial family to come of age under Japan’s revised Civil Code, which lowered the legal adulthood age from 20 to 18 in April 2022.
He is the only heir of his generation in the Japanese Imperial family, as the Imperial House Law permits only males with direct male-line descent from emperors to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne. The Imperial House Law is a legal framework that regulates the Japanese imperial family, covering imperial succession, family membership, and official responsibilities. The other successors are his 59-year-old father, Crown Prince Fumihito, and the emperor’s 89-year-old uncle, Prince Hitachi.
Currently in his third year at Tokyo’s Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba, the prince will begin studying biology at the university’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences in April.
“I have long been fascinated by insects, particularly dragonflies, and I hope to study them more broadly. I want to fully commit to my studies while also engaging in extracurricular activities,” he said.
During the press conference, he also said that he “had not yet given much thought to the ideal timing or partner” regarding marriage, according to Japan’s Kyodo News.
He also said that the issue of climate change was of interest to him. “I am concerned that it causes many natural disasters and affects people’s lives.” He is also “concerned about the impact (of climate change) on people’s lives”.
Japan will host a coming-of-age palace ceremony for Prince Hisahito on his 19th birthday on 6 September.
Japan’s Imperial family is shrinking as female members, including Prince Hisahito’s sister, former Princess Mako, lose their imperial status if they marry a commoner. Of the 16 current members, 11 are women, including his sister Princess Kako and Princess Aiko, Emperor Naruhito’s daughter.
Concerns over the family’s future have sparked debate on revising succession laws, but a government panel deferred a decision in 2021 on allowing women or matrilineal descendants to inherit the throne.
“Stabilising the number of members of the Imperial family is a particularly urgent issue,” prime minister Shigeru Ishiba said in October. In the same month, a UN committee said that Japan should “guarantee the equality of women and men in the succession to the throne” in line with “good practices” in other monarchies.
Japan rejected the committee’s recommendation, arguing that succession is unrelated to human rights or gender discrimination. In January, it cut funding to a UN women’s rights committee and suspended a member’s visit in response.
The Imperial succession crisis has been a longstanding issue in Japan, where opinion polls consistently show strong public support for allowing a female monarch. A recent survey found that nearly 90 per cent of Japanese people favour the idea of an empress.
Since Japanese royals must remain apolitical, they often pursue studies in fields like biology, literature, and the arts, CNN reported. Emperor Naruhito specialises in water transport, while his father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito (who abdicated in 2019), researches fish. Prince Hisahito’s father, Crown Prince Akishino, is an expert on chickens.
Additional reporting by agencies.
