The Family of Masako - The Owadas


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Masako is the eldest daughter of Yumiko Egashira and Hisashi Owada who is a senior diplomat and former president of the International Court of Justice. She has two younger sisters, twins named Setsuko and Reiko

Masako went to live in Moscow with her parents when she was two years old, where she attended Detskiysad (kindergarten in Russian) No. 1127 daycare.
At the age of five, Masako's family moved to New York City, where she attended New York City public kindergarten No. 81.

In 1971, the Owadas returned to Japan, moving in with her maternal grandparents in Meguro while Hisashi returned to the Foreign Ministry office.[5] After failing the entrance examination and attending two other schools in a span of a few weeks, Masako was able to enter Futaba Gakuen, a private Roman Catholic girls' school in Denenchofu, Tokyo. Established by the Congregation of the Holy Infant Jesus in 1872, Masako's mother and maternal grandmother had graduated from this school as well. (...)

Continue reading here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masako,_Crown_Princess_of_Japan
 
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Mr Egashira Utaka, Crown Princess Masako's maternal grandfather, owned CHISSO Corporation. CHISSO is the chemical company that is responsible for the Minamata disease.
 
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Masako's father, Hisashi Owada will retire from the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands and return to Japan. His term ends in 2021 but with the Emperor's abdication and Masako becoming Empress when CP Naruhito ascends in 2019, the government decided on Mr. Owada's retirement. Professor Yuji Iwasawa from the University of Tokyo is among the candidates to replace him.

Source: FNN, Mainichi

ETA: Crown Princess's father to retire from int'l judge role, return to Japan - The Mainichi
[...]

It was initially intended that Owada would continue in his ICJ role at The Hague until his term expired in 2021. However, it is thought that the government has decided to cut his term short, taking into account the fact his daughter is set to become the Empress of Japan, in tandem with Crown Prince Naruhito's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, scheduled for May 1, 2019.

Prior to becoming an ICJ judge in 2003, Owada also held roles such as vice-minister for foreign affairs and ambassador to the United Nations. In 2009, he became the first Japanese person to become president of the ICJ, and continued working at the organization even after stepping down as president in 2012.

[...]
 
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Hisashi Owada met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on February 13th. Mr. Owada will send his resignation letter to the director of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on June 6th and officially retire the next day.

Source: Sankei
 
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Interesting development. Does that mean they consider it inappropriate for the father of the empress to hold such a position or do they like to have him back in Japan so they can support their daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter?

Do you think he had any say in this himself or is he just ordered to step down?
 
Hisashi Owada at a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York on May 17th.

Getty Image

Departing ICJ Judge Hisashi Owada stresses importance of UNSC working with court to maintain peace | The Japan Times
[...]

“The International Court of Justice can have a role to play in actively contributing to the maintenance of peace and security in parallel with the Security Council, which bears primary responsibility for this purpose,” he said at a high-level meeting.

The 85-year-old judge was among leading experts who weighed in at the daylong event focused on international law. It attracted high-level politicians at an especially relevant time when multiple crises are converging and posing challenges to the international body.

[...]

In reference to justice and its importance, Owada emphasized the vital role that the ICJ plays because it “signifies that international peace and security is to be maintained in parallel with the realization of justice.”

Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Koro Bessho noted that the ICJ and the 15-member Security Council, which can adopt resolutions, are the international body’s only two organs “capable of making legally binding decisions.”

[...]

With Owada’s departure on the horizon, Bessho and U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley were among those who praised his long-standing service.
 
Was there a date given for his retirement?
 
Yes, he'll submit his resignation letter on June 6 and officially retire the next day. See post 5 above. :flowers:
 
Yes, he'll submit his resignation letter on June 6 and officially retire the next day. See post 5 above. :flowers:

Thank you, I should have looked higher up the thread.
 
Kyodo News interviewed Hisashi Owada on June 6, the day before his retirement.

Getty Images

Partial google translation of this short Kyodo article (preview?)
He pursued a work aiming to realize the rule of law for the creation of a peaceful world, he said, "I was happy." Meanwhile, the actions of the major powers that intensify the tendency to deviate from the rule of law sounded alarming as "extremely dangerous."
 
Kyodo News interviewed Hisashi Owada on June 6, the day before his retirement.

Getty Images

Partial google translation of this short Kyodo article (preview?)

He pursued a work aiming to realize the rule of law for the creation of a peaceful world, he said, "I was happy." Meanwhile, the actions of the major powers that intensify the tendency to deviate from the rule of law sounded alarming as "extremely dangerous."

Masako's father, Hisashi Owada will retire from the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands and return to Japan. His term ends in 2021 but with the Emperor's abdication and Masako becoming Empress when CP Naruhito ascends in 2019, the government decided on Mr. Owada's retirement. Professor Yuji Iwasawa from the University of Tokyo is among the candidates to replace him.

Source: FNN, Mainichi

ETA: Crown Princess's father to retire from int'l judge role, return to Japan - The Mainichi

[...]

It was initially intended that Owada would continue in his ICJ role at The Hague until his term expired in 2021. However, it is thought that the government has decided to cut his term short, taking into account the fact his daughter is set to become the Empress of Japan, in tandem with Crown Prince Naruhito's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, scheduled for May 1, 2019.

I wonder if he elaborates on the comment in the full interview, if we assume that is a preview. I don't understand why the government would compel him to retire from the ICJ if they are allowing him to continue commenting on political issues.
 
On January 2nd, a 75-year old man was arrested for interfering in police duties according to Himonya Police Station. He sprayed insecticide at a female police officer, who was guarding the Owada family home in Meguro ward, Tokyo and then tried to start a fire with a lighter. He was drunk and incoherent when police later interviewed him; he apparently has a grudge against Himonya Police Station. The female officer was not injured in the incident; she was able to subdue and detain the man.

Source: Jiji
 
On January 2nd, a 75-year old man was arrested for interfering in police duties according to Himonya Police Station. He sprayed insecticide at a female police officer, who was guarding the Owada family home in Meguro ward, Tokyo and then tried to start a fire with a lighter. He was drunk and incoherent when police later interviewed him; he apparently has a grudge against Himonya Police Station. The female officer was not injured in the incident; she was able to subdue and detain the man.

Source: Jiji

I'm glad that nobody was injured, including the drunk man with the lighter. I wonder if the home was being guarded by the police owing to Hisashi Owada's former role at the ICJ or because the Owadas are the family of the crown princess?
 
Maybe a bit of both? I wonder how long the Owada family home will be guarded. Hopefully it won't be needed permanently.

a proper English article about the incident. Yikes.

Man tries to set fire to police officer guarding Crown Princess Masako’s family home - Japan Today
[...] According to police, the incident occurred at around 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Fuji TV reported. The suspect sprayed a female police officer in her 20s with insecticide and tried to ignite it with a lighter. The officer was able to knock the lighter out of the man’s hand and subdue him until help arrived.

[...]
 
Masako's mother Yumiko was a secretary for Air France Eastern Bureau and later UNICEF Japan councilor

Masako's younger twin sisters:

Reiko was an international public official and worked for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Office, UN Children's Fund, UN headquarters, and UNICEF office in Japan. In October 2000, Reiko married Masahisa Ikeda, a lawyer once based in New York. They have 2 children, born in 2003 and 2005 at Aiiku Hospital in Tokyo.

Setsuko is a translator and cultural anthropologist, lecturer at University of Tokyo, International Christian University, and Waseda University. In June 1999, Setsuko married a Japanese doctor whom she met while studying at Harvard; they divorced in 2017.


Masako's father Hisashi Owada is the 3rd of 7 children. All siblings graduated from university or teaching college; the 5 brothers graduated from the University of Tokyo. His family details:

Father: Takeo - prefectural high school principal in modern-day Joetsu city and head of its board of education
Older brother: Akira - lecturer of Chinese literature at Senshu University
Older sister: Yasuko married Tadashi Katada, managing director of Krosaki-Harima
Younger brother: Takashi - Toyota Motor lawyer, Nippon Medical School director, Shiseido Company auditor. After marriage, he was adopted by the Kamada family
Younger brother: Osamu - head of the Japan National Tourist Organization
Younger brother: Makoto - inspector at the Ministry of Transportation's Ports and Harbors Bureau
Younger sister: Toshiko - married Kazuhide Kashiwabara, managing director of Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ)

Sources: Hisashi Owada - Wikipedia and 小和田恆 (Hisashi Owada) - Japan Wikipedia with citations
 
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Masako's mother Yumiko was a secretary for Air France Eastern Bureau and later UNICEF Japan councilor

Masako's younger twin sisters:

Reiko was an international public official and worked for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Office, UN Children's Fund, UN headquarters, and UNICEF office in Japan. In October 2000, Reiko married Masahisa Ikeda, a lawyer once based in New York. They have 2 children, born in 2003 and 2005 at Aiiku Hospital in Tokyo.

Setsuko is a translator and cultural anthropologist, lecturer at University of Tokyo, International Christian University, and Waseda University. In June 1999, Setsuko married a Japanese doctor whom she met while studying at Harvard; they divorced in 2017.


Masako's father Hisashi Owada is the 3rd of 7 children. All siblings graduated from university or teaching college; the 5 brothers graduated from the University of Tokyo. His family details:

Father: Takeo - prefectural high school principal in modern-day Joetsu city and head of its board of education
Older brother: Akira - lecturer of Chinese literature at Senshu University
Older sister: Yasuko married Tadashi Katada, managing director of Krosaki-Harima
Younger brother: Takashi - Toyota Motor lawyer, Nippon Medical School director, Shiseido Company auditor. After marriage, he was adopted by the Kamada family
Younger brother: Osamu - head of the Japan National Tourist Organization
Younger brother: Makoto - inspector at the Ministry of Transportation's Ports and Harbors Bureau
Younger sister: Toshiko - married Kazuhide Kashiwabara, managing director of Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ)

Sources: Hisashi Owada - Wikipedia and 小和田恆 (Hisashi Owada) - Japan Wikipedia with citations

Thank you for the information! It is plain that Yumiko, Hisashi and their family are highly accomplished and accustomed to living with connections to various countries and cultures. It must have been a somber experience to witness the restraints and deterioration their daughter and granddaughter have endured.
 
Masako's mother Yumiko was a secretary for Air France Eastern Bureau and later UNICEF Japan councilor

Masako's younger twin sisters:

Reiko was an international public official and worked for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Office, UN Children's Fund, UN headquarters, and UNICEF office in Japan. In October 2000, Reiko married Masahisa Ikeda, a lawyer once based in New York. They have 2 children, born in 2003 and 2005 at Aiiku Hospital in Tokyo.

Setsuko is a translator and cultural anthropologist, lecturer at University of Tokyo, International Christian University, and Waseda University. In June 1999, Setsuko married a Japanese doctor whom she met while studying at Harvard; they divorced in 2017.


Masako's father Hisashi Owada is the 3rd of 7 children. All siblings graduated from university or teaching college; the 5 brothers graduated from the University of Tokyo. His family details:

Father: Takeo - prefectural high school principal in modern-day Joetsu city and head of its board of education
Older brother: Akira - lecturer of Chinese literature at Senshu University
Older sister: Yasuko married Tadashi Katada, managing director of Krosaki-Harima
Younger brother: Takashi - Toyota Motor lawyer, Nippon Medical School director, Shiseido Company auditor. After marriage, he was adopted by the Kamada family
Younger brother: Osamu - head of the Japan National Tourist Organization
Younger brother: Makoto - inspector at the Ministry of Transportation's Ports and Harbors Bureau
Younger sister: Toshiko - married Kazuhide Kashiwabara, managing director of Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ)

Sources: Hisashi Owada - Wikipedia and 小和田恆 (Hisashi Owada) - Japan Wikipedia with citations

When it's all laid out like this, it's an impressive set of accomplishments. It also illuminates why Masako eventually gave in to Naruhito's proposals. With a family history such as this, even though she clearly had misgivings, one can see where she would have felt it was her duty to marry him.
 
Thank you for the information! It is plain that Yumiko, Hisashi and their family are highly accomplished and accustomed to living with connections to various countries and cultures. It must have been a somber experience to witness the restraints and deterioration their daughter and granddaughter have endured.
You're welcome! Indeed it must have been hard. :sad: This photo of the Owada family watching Masako marry into the Imperial family is heartbreaking. Certainly not tears of joy.
At least her family are witness to Masako's sustained recovery in recent years.

Agency didn't keep full record of talks to decide abdication date: The Asahi Shimbun
[...] The minutes for the 1993 council meeting that discussed the planned marriage of Naruhito to Masako Owada included an explanation by Shoichi Fujimori, the grand steward of the Imperial Household Agency at the time, concerning the earnestness with which Naruhito wanted to marry the then diplomat.

The minutes showed that the Owada family initially asked that Masako not be considered as a potential crown princess, and possible future empress, but Naruhito decided that there was no one else for him and the marriage was eventually approved six years after the topic was first broached.

The Reluctant Princess - Newsweek 5/23/93
Some sources say her father shared her doubts, and at one point told a friend that he knew how difficult it would be if the prince kept up the pressure. "I hope he would give her up and his attention would switch to someone else," he said. "It's very hard to say 'No' clearly."
JAPAN AGLOW AFTER PRINCE FINDS A BRIDE - Chicago Tribune (January 7, 1993)
Owada's family may have encouraged her resistance to the prince's entreaties. "I don't know whether to feel happy," said her mother, Yumiko, through an intercom to reporters crowded outside the family's home.
When it's all laid out like this, it's an impressive set of accomplishments. It also illuminates why Masako eventually gave in to Naruhito's proposals. With a family history such as this, even though she clearly had misgivings, one can see where she would have felt it was her duty to marry him.
Agreed, the media furor and pressure from everywhere in 1993 must have been overwhelming. Duty for Japan. Even the IHA relented on their objections.
 
:previous:
Thank you for posting those fascinating reports.

You're welcome! Indeed it must have been hard. :sad: This photo of the Owada family watching Masako marry into the Imperial family is heartbreaking. Certainly not tears of joy.
At least her family are witness to Masako's sustained recovery in recent years.

Agency didn't keep full record of talks to decide abdication date: The Asahi Shimbun

[...] The minutes for the 1993 council meeting that discussed the planned marriage of Naruhito to Masako Owada included an explanation by Shoichi Fujimori, the grand steward of the Imperial Household Agency at the time, concerning the earnestness with which Naruhito wanted to marry the then diplomat.

The minutes showed that the Owada family initially asked that Masako not be considered as a potential crown princess, and possible future empress, but Naruhito decided that there was no one else for him and the marriage was eventually approved six years after the topic was first broached.

The Reluctant Princess - Newsweek 5/23/93

Some sources say her father shared her doubts, and at one point told a friend that he knew how difficult it would be if the prince kept up the pressure. "I hope he would give her up and his attention would switch to someone else," he said. "It's very hard to say 'No' clearly."

JAPAN AGLOW AFTER PRINCE FINDS A BRIDE - Chicago Tribune (January 7, 1993)

Owada's family may have encouraged her resistance to the prince's entreaties. "I don't know whether to feel happy," said her mother, Yumiko, through an intercom to reporters crowded outside the family's home.

Taking into account Japan's cultural expectation of polite restraint in public, the Owadas' statements and expressions sent quite the strong message!

When it's all laid out like this, it's an impressive set of accomplishments. It also illuminates why Masako eventually gave in to Naruhito's proposals. With a family history such as this, even though she clearly had misgivings, one can see where she would have felt it was her duty to marry him.

Agreed, the media furor and pressure from everywhere in 1993 must have been overwhelming. Duty for Japan. Even the IHA relented on their objections.

After the crown princess fell ill, one imagines there was a time when she and her family must have had difficulty forgiving the crown prince's refusal to accept "No" for an answer (even if I can understand it in light of the massive pressure on him to marry promptly and the requirement to select a woman who would satisfy the very stringent rules of suitability).
 
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INTERVIEW/ Hisashi Owada: Education vital for international order based on cooperation | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
As a diplomat and later a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Hisashi Owada has long struggled to find the proper balance between the ideals of international law and the reality of international relations.

In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, Owada said he is working on an “Interaction between International Law and International Relations” academic forum that explores this dynamic.

He said he believes that an accurate understanding of this balance, which has been the subject of his diplomatic work and his academic research, “is the course for stability in the world.”

“In order to bridge the gap between international law and international relations, there will be a need for a multidisciplinary look at the various factors that affect a gathering of people, such as religion, culture and emotion,” Owada said.

After leaving the ICJ in 2018, he is focusing on educating the younger generation by bringing together students from Japan and Europe.

[... Asahi provides over 10 Q&A excerpts ...]
 
A nice, interesting Q&A. Mr. Owada gives the impression of being intelligent, observant, engaged, and kindhearted. Evidently he has had the good fortune to experience a life replete with meaningful work, which makes me wonder about his reaction to the barriers and struggles his daughter encountered.
 
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