Charlotte1
Courtier
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2005
- Messages
- 801
- City
- Sydney
- Country
- Australia
Part of me does understand and part of me doesn't.
What I don't understand is the nastiest that is being directed at a little girl. Who from my understanding has done nothing wrong other than being born a girl.
The nastiness that you're reading has nothing to do with the fact that Aiko was born a girl. (There is a male heir for the next generation, so the succession problem is solved for a generation) The issue with Aiko is her lack of attendence at school, last school year she didn't attend school for over a month. With the new school year she has been attending until the morning break (10.30am) and then going home. (According to the IHA press office she's been having private tutoring at home to make up for the work she's been missing at school) It seems that she is attending school for longer periods but still refuses to attend such things as the morning assemblies and beginning of school assemblies. In a country like Japan where education is highly important and valued, (where a teacher earns more money than an engineer, since teaching is considered the more important profession. Heartening to all you teachers out there!) where students are rewarded for perfect attendence, not attending school is a major issue. In that respect Aiko is viewed as a spoilt brat, she wasn't bullied, but rather upset over the rough behaviour of boys in the hallway. She had been pushed by boys running past her.
As far as any importance to the succession, Aiko has no importance. Had there been no male in the next generation, Japanese people would had accepted a female Emperor. The view was a female Emperor was better than no Emperor. Once Hisahito was born, problem solved, any push to change the succession laws died. There's no need to try and discredit Aiko since there's no push by anyone to have her succeed her father. The succession issue is dead, any reform is pushed aside probably until Hisahito is an adult.
The whole male only succession also has to do with the Emperor being a Shinto priest who carries out certain rites. Shinto priests (like catholic priests) can only be male. Catholics can only have a male Pope, Japanese can only have a male Emperor. Nothing to do with females not being worthy of being Emperors. (They did have them in the past, before the Shinto religion was reconfigured around the Emperor)
Masako, in Japan, is view negatively as she's seen as someone who is shirking her duty. The Japanese Imperial Family are funded by the taxpayer, and it's an expensive one, far more expensive than the European royal families are. So Masako is receiving taxpayers' money and doing very few official engagements. Yet she's been seen at social engagements in the past. That's the basis of the negative commentary coming from those in Japan who care to comment. (Keeping in mind these are English language reports, so the posters have to post in English, not everyone has those skills. Also the majority of Japanese view the Imperial Family as a 'tradition, something that's always been there' not necessarily something they are hugely interested in.