Emperor Akihito & Empress Michiko Current Events Part 2: September 2006- January 2013


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Vanesa said:
Good points.

And thank you for the info about Princess Aiko having a history of mental problems in both sides of her family...Are you sure you mean "Princess Aiko", or did you want to said "Princess Masako"? In any case, I'm surprised. I didn't know this.:ermm:

Vanesa.
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I meant the Princess Aiko. And I was merely pointing out that both her grandmother, and mother have suffered some kind of breakdown. If I knew something about the family history other than that, I wouldn't say anything because those kind of things are private. But, in this circumstance both parties involved the Crown Princess/and the Empress's problems are well known facts.

It could totally be the stress of the situation, and being born into the situation may help..But, well I'm just saying that who knows the heaps of stress that will be put on Aiko if she becomes empress.

Someone on another board said the Emperor and Empress have a heavy workload. (Something like a 1,000 engagments year even now) and well that's huge when you consider both of their ages. Apparently, very early on their was a huge load placed on the Emperor and his wife, because well they were considered the unsoiled face of the country of Japan. So there was heaps of pressure put on them as Crown Prince and Princess.. And royal engagments.

Someone said it was these factors which are why the current Crown Prince's siblings were none to thrilled with the Crown Prince's statements, and are perhaps not as sympathetic to his wife. Because their mother had to put up with all of it, and she grinned and beared it. People may complain about Kiko doing more work, but honestly given how old the emperor and the empress are, probably someone need to take a load off both of their shoulders. The second son, Ashkino has mentioned several times that he's worried about his Dad's workload. IF I was this concerned, and then I had another spouse complaining about well how the IHA was treating his wife and not letting her out enough, trust me I might be quite a bit annoyed.
 
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dragonsfire8 said:
But seriously, dont you think it is a little odd that Hisahito was born with such a big gap in years between he and his sisters? It cant be that difficult to concieve that it takes well over a decade. (I know full well about human biology, so there is no need to point that out.) And yes, I know that they were being "dutiful" and being the "saviour" of the family, and they would know that "their lives would be more restrictive not less once they become the heirs to Naruhito and Masako" why would they want to go through with it when armed with that knowlege? That is they want to please Their parents, The Emperor and Empress, or traditionalists.
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No it's not odd, they were doing their duty. As members of the Imperial Family they had an obligation to try again. "Giri" (obligation) is a very important concept in Japanese society. Japanese have 'giri' marriage, obligation marriage to marry into a family that would care for aged parents, on Valentine's Day women give 'giri chokoreto' obligation chocolate to all their male workmates, regardless if they really want to give them chocolates or not. Women who marry into traditional families know the importance of 'giri' and I'm talking non-royal families here not the Imperial Family. They would also have to do their duty to ensure a male heir.
Westerners don't have the same sense of obligation or doing one's duty so it can be difficult to understand. Westerner society is a far more individual society and the individual is important, Japanese society the individual is not important the collective is. In this case the collective is the Imperial Family and their survival through the male line. That's why they went through with it, even armed with the knowledge that their lives would become more difficult. Their individual needs are not as important as the collective survival of tradition through an unbroken male line.

The Japanese poster that posted in one of the thread wrote that the Akishino family is admired for among other things 'their dutiful daughters'. That would be an extremely unusual thing for a westerner to state much less admire.
 
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Charlotte1 said:
No it's not odd, they were doing their duty. As members of the Imperial Family they had an obligation to try again. "Giri" (obligation) is a very important concept in Japanese society. Japanese have 'giri' marriage, obligation marriage to marry into a family that would care for aged parents, on Valentine's Day women give 'giri chokoreto' obligation chocolate to all their male workmates, regardless if they really want to give them chocolates or not. Women who marry into traditional families know the importance of 'giri' and I'm talking non-royal families here not the Imperial Family. They would also have to do their duty to ensure a male heir.
Westerners don't have the same sense of obligation or doing one's duty so it can be difficult to understand. Westerner society is a far more individual society and the individual is important, Japanese society the individual is not important the collective is. In this case the collective is the Imperial Family and their survival through the male line. That's why they went through with it, even armed with the knowledge that their lives would become more difficult. Their individual needs are not as important as the collective survival of tradition through an unbroken male line.

The Japanese poster that posted in one of the thread wrote that the Akishino family is admired for among other things 'their dutiful daughters'. That would be an extremely unusual thing for a westerner to state much less admire.
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I think you made very important points here, Charlotte1. Your pot is very instructive and resumes very well the current situation in Japan today. And it is not our affair Westerns to judge a different culture and much less to say that "it must change" for "it's unbearable" or "impossible" that in a modren world...blah,blah, blah.

Happily Japan is Japan, and every country is every country. Difference is the most wonderful thing there is in this world. Difference of culture, food, dresses, music...Uniformization is sooo boring!

And yes, here in the West individualism became important after French Revolution in a way that began to increase, and notabily much more after WWII. Now, people does exactly what they wants. But now, we are alone. There is no social net. You are one in a crowd and you can be as free as an animal inthe desert...But what is supposed to do an animal in the desert but die? There is no duty; only "freedom" and selfishness.

I'm not saying that I'd rather like Japanese culture than ours. But certainly I should like to have a more collective sense of life without neglecting one self developpement. One person who saids me that he/she , really cares about his/her family, country and friends, really makes me melt away and admire them! Sometimes we just CAN'T do everything we wants to do. Some duties are before our wishes...and if collective duty doesn't push us to accomplish these, our consciences surely will do! :shifty:

Vanesa.
 
In this photo released by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Japanese Emperor Akihito sows rice seeds in the compound of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo Thursday, April 12, 2007. Grown rice will be cropped by the emperor and offered in the annual imperial thanksgiving rites at the palace in November. (AP Photo/The Imperial Household Agency of Japan, HO)

From Yahoo
 
What a nice picture Mandyy. Emperor's Akihito looks very good for the age he has...Does someone knows some news about the Empress?

Vanesa.
 
Empress Michiko recovers

Japan Today - News - Empress Michiko recovers

Emperor Akihito makes congratulatory remarks to laureates, Albert Fert, of France, Peter Grunberg, of Germany and Peter Shaw Ashton, of Britain, at the Japan Prize presentation ceremony in Tokyo Thursday, April 19, 2007. The Japan Prize is presented to original and outstanding achievements in science and technology annually

Japan's Royal Family on Yahoo! News Photos
Japan's Royal Family on Yahoo! News Photos
Japan's Royal Family on Yahoo! News Photos
 
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Thank you, Dragonsfire...I'm happy the Empress is improving these last days...But I'm sincerily suprpised to learn that stress and fatigue could cause intestine and nose bleeding, and ulcers in the mouth! :ermm: :ohmy:

Vanesa.
 
Vanesa said:
Thank you, Dragonsfire...I'm happy the Empress is improving these last days...But I'm sincerily suprpised to learn that stress and fatigue could cause intestine and nose bleeding, and ulcers in the mouth! :ermm: :ohmy:

Vanesa.
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Me too, I'm happy to hear that she is improving lately. I'm also a little confused on how a person can intestine and nose bleeding and ulcers in the mouth just because of stress and fatigue. Anybody have any medical or other insight to this? Is it possible for this to happen?
 
This handout picture taken 23 April 2007, released by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan shows Prince Albert II of Monaco (L) greeting Japanese Emperor Akihito, as Empress Michiko (R) looks on upon his arrival for a luncheon at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

ANP Beeldbank
ANP Beeldbank
 
fanletizia said:
This handout picture taken 23 April 2007, released by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan shows Prince Albert II of Monaco (L) greeting Japanese Emperor Akihito, as Empress Michiko (R) looks on upon his arrival for a luncheon at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

ANP Beeldbank
ANP Beeldbank
Click to expand...

Thanks for the photos wonderful to see him in this light. Adds dignity to the occassion.
 
It is great that the Emperor and Empress be received by The Queen of the UK again. I know the couple had paid a State Visit to the UK before in 1998, so it might only be an official visit, but hope to see QEII with them at the events celebrating Linnaeus as well.
 
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I'm relieved the Empress looks so well, having being so sick only a little time ago. Good for her! :)

Vanesa.
 
Imperial couple show off gentle grandparenting skills

Emperor, empress looking forward to 1st visit to Baltic states

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko said Monday they are looking forward to their upcoming 10-day trip to Sweden, Britain and the three Baltic states, and especially the latter countries because of their history of hardships under Soviet rule.

"I observed with great interest" the 1990-1991 period during which Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania broke away from the Soviet Union and gained independence, the 73-year-old emperor told a news conference ahead of the couple's overseas trip from May 21. "I would like to deepen my understanding of their cultures and strive to strengthen mutual understanding and friendly ties by looking back on the history of their hardships," he said.......
Emperor, empress looking forward to 1st visit to Baltic states

Japan's Empress dreams of 'coat of invisibility'http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070514/3/31tm5.html

Japan's Empress Michiko, who recently recovered from a stress-related illness, said on Monday she dreamed of becoming invisible so that she could visit exhibitions and browse at bookshops without bothering those around her.

Michiko, 72, wearing a terracotta dress and pearls, was speaking at a news conference with her husband, 73-year-old Emperor Akihito, a week ahead of their departure on a trip to Britain, Sweden and the Baltic States.
"Japanese fairy stories sometimes mention a kind of coat that makes you disappear when you put it on," Michiko told reporters, saying that she would find it useful for trips around Tokyo.
"The palace staff and police might be a bit worried, but I think they would probably just tell me to take care," she added, saying that she would like to visit an interesting exhibition in Tokyo without inconveniencing others with traffic controls. "Then I would like to visit the secondhand bookshops of Kanda and Jimbocho where I often went when I was a student and spend a lot of time reading there," she added, referring to the traditional bookselling areas of the city.................
link

Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko smile as they attend a news conference ahead of their trip to Britain, Sweden and Baltic states at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo May 14, 2007.

Photos from AP and Reuters via Yahoo
 
Here's a somewhat more downbeat version of the "invisibility coat" press conference:

Sad, Tormented Life of the Empress Who Dreams of an Invisibility Cloak

"Empress Michiko of Japan has spoken of the “sorrow and anxiety” she experienced as the first commoner to marry into Japanese royalty, and of her fantasy of donning a magic coat of invisibility to escape the constraints of life within the Imperial Family.
Her remarks give a remarkable insight into a woman who has suffered repeated nervous breakdowns as a result of bullying criticism first from her mother-in-law, the late Empress, and later from rightwing traditionalists dismayed at the “modernising” of the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy.
Seated alongside Emperor Akihito, at a press conference before a visit to Britain later this month, the Empress spoke of the sense of inadequacy and self-doubt that has haunted her and the prayers she whispers in times of pain and stress.
“After I married I experienced difficulties in my new life every day amid many demands and expectations,” she said in a prepared answer to a question submitted by foreign journalists. “I never expressed it in terms of the word ‘pressure’. I just felt sad and sorry for not living up to people’s expectations and demands.....""

Sad, tormented life of the Empress who dreams of an invisibility cloak-News-World-Asia-TimesOnline
 
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She's really a strong and tough woman. Not only physically but also mentally. With such kind of illness, she always give her best to her family and country.
She's a very lovely and supportive mother-in-law, especially to CP Masako who also have similar problems.
I hope both of them will be better and happier from now on.
 
where can i find the thread/s of the state visit/s by the couple to a few European countries?
 
What a sad story about the Empress.... I can't believe the IHA allowed her to say such things. Maybe the IHA is softening its attitude (wishful thinking)? Why the former aristocracy class has power over the Empress is beyond me.... I'd say, it's good that they were stripped of their titles and power, otherwise the Imperial Family would be so much more chaotic with them 'officially' around!

IMHO, the Empress is still beautiful unlike what the article has said. Beautiful, and yes, elegant! :flowers:
 
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dazzling said:
where can i find the thread/s of the state visit/s by the couple to a few European countries?
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Threads about state visits to countries are found in the host country's forum.
 
Translation of the respsonse by their Imperial Majesties of the press conference held on May 14, 2007

from Imperial Household Agency Homepage
 
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June 11, 2007.
The Emperor and Empress today in Tokyo.
Pic from JIJI press

__________________________________________________________
Emperor's top aide Watanabe to be replaced by Kawashima
Emperor Akihito's top aide Makoto Watanabe of the Imperial Household Agency will retire soon and be replaced by Yutaka Kawashima, a former vice foreign minister and now the agency's head of court ceremonies, sources close to the issue said Monday.....
Emperor's top aide Watanabe to be replaced by Kawashima
 
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Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen shakes hands with Japan's Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo June 14, 2007.
Photos from Reuters via Yahoo
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Kawashima promoted to emperor's top aide
Yutaka Kawashima was promoted Friday to be Emperor Akihito's top aide as grand chamberlain at the Imperial Household Agency, succeeding 71-year-old Makoto Watanabe who retired the same day.

The promotion of Kawashima, 65, a former vice foreign minister and the agency's grand master of ceremonies, was endorsed at a Cabinet meeting. Koichi Haraguchi, 66, a senior Foreign Ministry bureaucrat and former top negotiator for normalizing ties with North Korea, was appointed to take over Kawashima's post as head of court ceremonies...............
Kawashima promoted to emperor's top aide

Photo of Makoto Watanabe from JIJI press during his retirement press conference.

Japan's Empress Michiko speaks as she looks at "The Annunciation", a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, at the exhibition of "The Mind of Leonardo - The Universal Genius at Work" at Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo June 17, 2007. REUTERS/Issei Kato (JAPAN)
Photos from AP via Yahoo news
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The Emperor and Empress in Tokyo on June 18, 2007.
Photo from JIJI press
 
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Wonder if this guy is any relation of Princess Kiko (formerly Kiko Kawashima).
 
I think the name "Kawashima" is pretty common in Japan (any Japanese around here?) There was an aristocratic family who beared this name . If you does remember, there was a Chinese princess named Eastern-Jewel who was a pro-japanese spy, adopted by a Japanese aristocrat, Mr. Kawashima. She became an ardent pro-Japanese and took the name of "Yoshiko Kawashima". I don't think that princess Kiko is related to THIS Kawashima family...Or maybe she is? :ermm:

Vanesa.
 
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