Crown Prince Naruhito and Family: News & Photos 1

[Alisa]

The Crown Princess's breakdown

Article :(

[Gabriella]

Poor thing. I just really can't imagine what it must be like for her, but it seems as though it must be tough. I'm sure that kind of pressure must be incredibly hard to handle.

[Fireweaver]

She's been through so much, it seems to me that her husband and daughter are a tremendous amount of support to her.

[Elspeth]

It's really sad, and the problem is that it was fairly clear that this would happen right from the time they got engaged. It sounded as though she didn't want the marriage because of all the restrictions, and there have been reports that Empres Michiko also had a couple of breakdowns because of the way she was treated by the Household, being a commoner and not being used to the way the imperial family behaved. It must have been dreadfully hard for a woman who was nearly 30 and had a challenging job on the international stage to be restricted like this.

[royal_sophietje]

[Alexandria]

I think Masako loved Naruhito very much when they first met and became engaged, but I think the loss of autonomy and the limitations placed on her life have been hard on her. She seems to be someone who is quite independent, certainly before her marriage she was, and becoming part of the Imperial family has been a difficult transition for Masako.

Then the media scrutiny ofnot producing an heir after so many years of marriage took its own toll on the Princess' health physically, mentally and emtionally. She had the miscarriage (at least one to public knowledge) and then the subsequent birth of a daughter had its own "repercussions" that must've been exhausting for Masako to deal with.

I don't doubt that Aiko is loved by both of her parents (pictures of the family together are evidence of that), and everybody wishes for a healthy baby regardless of the sex of the baby, but perhaps Masako was a bit disappointed that Aiko was not a son. It certainly would've taken the pressure off of her. And now there is expectations again in Japan that she will have another child, hopefully a son to succeed her husband.

But Masako isn't getting younger, and while many women in this day and age are getting pregnant, there are more health risks for the mother and the baby. And also, it's not to say a second child might be a girl, too.

Masako has shown tremendous resilience throughout all the pressure. A less stronger person might've cracked under the pressure years ago.

[Alisa]

Masako has shown tremendous resilience throughout all the pressure. A less stronger person might've cracked under the pressure years ago.

I completely agree :flower:

Before Masako and Naruhito were married in 1993 a trained monkey Tsurusuke appeared on Japanese tv and predicted that the couple would have three children, and that the first would be a girl. I don't believe in superstition, but I do hope that monkey is right and that one of the other two children will be a boy. :flower:

[royal_sophietje]

pfew.....

[beebee]

If Masako and Naruhito do (finally!) manage to bear a son, that will be wonderful news. However, what I really wish is that the law would be modified so that the firstborn can succeed, regardless of gender.

[Alexandria]

Source: CNN

Crown Princess Masako in seclusion

Friday, April 23, 2004 Posted: 2329 GMT (0729 HKT)

Crown Princess Masako leaves the Imperial hospital in Tokyo after being discharged December 8.

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Late last year, Crown Princess Masako announced she was exhausted and excused herself from royal duties. Last month, she took refuge in her family's summer home in a wooded mountain resort.

Officials say they do not know when she will return.

Intelligent, affable and cosmopolitan, Masako seemed the perfect addition to the world's oldest royal family when she wed Crown Prince Naruhito 11 years ago. But imperial duties have proved almost too much for her to bear -- and, experts say, her plight could bode ill for the Chrysanthemum Throne.

A flurry of reports in the tabloid press have noted it is unprecedented for the princess, who is with her mother and daughter, to stay at a private residence; that even her official attendants have limited access to her; and that although the prince has visited her twice, he spent much of his time in a hotel.

"Worries deepen over Princess Masako," said one typical report, in Shincho, a popular weekly magazine. "Is she really recovering?"

Despite all Masako has going for her, and her popularity with the public, she is plagued by a burden as old as the throne itself _ the duty to produce an imperial heir.

Masako, 40, and Naruhito, 44, had their only child, Princess Aiko, two years ago. An earlier pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, which the palace blamed largely on media attention.

Aiko's birth did little to ease the tension.

Under a post-World War II law, only males can assume the throne. There are no princes in the generation after Naruhito, whose younger brother has two daughters. Naruhito's only sister is 35 and says she has no immediate plans to marry.

With the likelihood fading that a boy will be born, the long-avoided topic of allowing a woman to assume the throne is under serious discussion. Proponents stress Japan has had reigning empresses -- albeit not since the late 1700s. Others point to Sweden, which changed its laws in 1979 so Crown Princess Victoria could succeed her father.

"There is simply no reason why we shouldn't allow a woman to reign," said opposition lawmaker Satsuki Eda. "I think it is a very good thing that we are able to discuss this issue, without worrying about taboos."

Masako's woes go deeper than the succession crisis.

Since the late Emperor Hirohito renounced the idea that he was a living god after Japan's defeat in 1945, the royal family has acted as a "symbol of the nation," handing out awards, observing imperial rites and greeting foreign dignitaries.

Educated at Harvard, Oxford and Japan's top university before becoming a career diplomat, Masako was seen as a natural for that role. And at a time when Princess Diana was enchanting crowds worldwide, it was hoped Masako would offer a little glitter to Japan's royal family.

That hasn't happened.

Masako has made only five trips overseas since her wedding. Her husband is expected to attend royal weddings in Denmark and Spain next month, but officials announced Friday that Masako will not be going.

Ken Ruoff, director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State University, said Masako has been hemmed in by fears she could outshine her husband.

"It's just been extremely unclear what the crown princess and crown prince stand for," he said. "If they are not seen as lending their prestige to useful causes and just living selfish lives, there could be a reaction against the throne."

He noted that the couple remains popular.

"In some ways, the blandness is more in tune with what the Japanese expect than having a crown prince who is zipping around the archipelago in a sports car," Ruoff said.

Naruhito has been supportive of his wife.

"Although it may be some time before Princess Masako returns to her official duties, for my part, I will be by her side to offer encouragement, to give advice, and to do all I can to help her health improve," he said in February.

Masako

Link: CNN World

[Dennism]

This is all so sad. The mother and daugther are such lovely people. The Japanese parliament needs to change that rule about having just men succeed. It is a dumb rule to begin with. "Fears she could oushine her husband". Dear lord. O, well. I wish her good health.

[Asma2]

OMG. Poor Masako. I wish her all the best.

[Alisa]

Princess Masako returns :)

~*Article~*

[Beate]

I am glad to hear that she returned but I am still worried that she isn't able to resume her official engagements yet. I hope from the bottom of my heart that everything will go well for her.. I really like her a lot and hopefully necessary changes have been made to make her life at the Imperial Court much easier to bear..

[Dennism]

This is indeed very good news and I wish her all the best.

[ryo]

The princess indeed returned but it does not mean that her pressure is removed. I believe that as long as she is inside the palace, where supposed to be her own home, she has to live under a huge pressure. Poor princess. I am sorry to say this out loud, but I think she is very unhapppy being a aprt of the imperial family. 'Cause just think about it; if she is happy, she would somehow tolerate the pressure with the help of the husband. What is for sure is they are not really going to loosen up the law just for her, so she will have to keep suffering. I only hope it will not end up as some kind of disaster. I know everybody is hoping the best for her, though...

[paulette]

from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com

Japan's ailing princess returns to Tokyo
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


TOKYO -- Japan's Crown Princess Masako, who has complained about the pressures of royal life, returned to Togu Palace in Tokyo on Monday after spending a month in the mountains to recover from poor health, a spokesman said.

The princess still hasn't fully recovered and will need more rest before resuming her official duties, said Yasuo Moriyama, a spokesman for the Imperial Household Agency.

Moriyama said it was unclear when the princess would return to a normal schedule. He refused to discuss the nature of her illness.

Masako, 40, took refuge at her parents' resort home in the wooded mountain town of Karuizawa, about 75 miles northwest of Tokyo, on March 25. She stayed with her mother, Yumiko Owada, and her daughter, Aiko, while there. Crown Prince Naruhito and her father, Hisashi Owada, visited her during her stay.

The princess has not accompanied the crown prince on tours of Japan or performed other official duties since last December, when she was hospitalized for five days after being diagnosed with herpes zoster- an illness commonly known as shingles.

Shingles is usually not dangerous and is often induced by stress and fatigue.

The popular princess has occasionally alluded to the pressures of royal life since she was married in 1993. Amid intense public pressure to produce an heir, she had one miscarriage before giving birth to her first child, Princess Aiko, in December 2001.

In January, the Harvard-educated princess said in a statement that her health problems "resulted from the accumulation of mental and physical fatigue" over the past 10 years.


a nice picture of the family

[sky]

Hello! on Masako

http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/speci...pagina_1_1.html

[Dennism]

Great article. Thanks for posting it. I learned a lot. I hope she and the Empress can continue to change the culture of the monarchy in Japan.

[tanya]

when i first heard CP Masako had shingles I thought that was a veneral diease I'm glad people have been so through in explaining what was wrong with CP Masako.