Mermaid1962
Majesty
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I like CP Masako's outfit. The scarf adds some color, too. Nice to see the three of them again.
Given the above, I do think that Crown Princess Masako's health precludes her from performing duties alongside her husband and the IHA has been listening to the doctor's or doctors' recommendations and letting her live in seclusion.
In that article you also find an answer to your former question if Masako will become empress. First, one has to say that the moment the emperor passes away, Naruhito will automatically get to be the emperor and his wife the empress. So unless he does not divorce her, it does not matter how ill she is. Concerning the possibility of a divorce, Japan Times writer Mariko Kato says:According to Tomono, the agency also mishandled the Crown Princess' illness. "As they are a traditionally minded body, they were reluctant to accept or understand her emotional illness, or explain it to the public. They allowed the press to say that she fell ill because she was selfish, and I think that sin is grave," she said.
Japan TimesIt is generally accepted that the Crown Princess can divorce her husband under the Imperial Household Law, which stipulates that a commoner married to a prince can leave the family through divorce or if her husband dies. In reality, however, divorce between the couple is highly unlikely, according to Tomono.
"Neither the Crown Prince nor Princess Masako is the type to divorce and run away from the problem. In fact, that's precisely why she fell ill in the first place," she said. "The couple get on well, and the princess feels strongly about her husband and the royal institution. They simply want to show (the public) that they are working hard to do what they think is right," she added.
I am curious about Masako and her lack of public appearances. I know she has had "health" issues and apparently problems with the IHA, but if she can hold it together when appearing with her husband and child at small occassions like this why can she not apparently hold it together to undertake more public engagements in Japan or even abroad for events like weddings? I would think she would want to get out of the palace as often as possible if things are so bad within the palace walls. Is she really so much of a prisoner that even attending some sort of charity or cultural event outside the walls is not allowed?
Google translationDurante la reunión el Emperador presentó a su familia, el príncipe Nahurito y la princesa Masako.
The Mainichi[...] in Tokyo on Friday, Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife Crown Princess Masako met with the visiting head of the University of Oxford, Vice Chancellor Andrew Hamilton.
It was the first time for the crown princess to engage in external official duties since last November when she and the crown prince met with then outgoing Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, Nguyen Phu Binh, who came to bid farewell before leaving the post, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
I have found a few pictures that show the crown prince and princess on their way to the above-mentioned lecture: "Fighting Hunger Worldwide". They are a bit dark, but there is a very good video that shows the couple at the event at this blog that is dedicated “to the beautiful family of the crown prince of Japan“.On her first trip to Japan as the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin this week welcomed the continued commitment by Japan – including the Japanese government, business, non-governmental organizations and citizens – to the fight against hunger. [...]
Her lecture, entitled “Fighting Hunger Worldwide,” was attended by Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako and an audience comprising diplomats, representatives of UN agencies, NGOs and private companies, university teachers, students, and individuals.
Crown Princess Masako's public appearances are a welcome development.
Source"Articles on the imperial family are widely read because such ordinary problems as child-rearing and delicate relations with in-laws that seem to plague the imperial family make readers feel relieved," said Jin Ito, editor in chief of Shukan Josei, a variety magazine for women. "The difficult environment facing the crown princess is being viewed as a result of generational conflicts with the traditional way of life at the imperial family," he said. "Women in their 30s and 40s, who are our readership base, naturally relate to the problems facing Masako."
Generation gap?
One of those readers is Miki Fuda, a 38-year-old homemaker from Hamura, western Tokyo. Fuda began closely following Masako-related coverage in the media after the crown princess began suffering from stress. She said the princess was likely under tremendous pressure to give birth to a male heir to the Chrysanthemum throne. "When I became pregnant with my second child, there was the unspoken understanding that I must have a boy," she recalled. "When a test at the advanced stage of my pregnancy suggested that I would have another girl, my mother-in-law looked very disappointed and immediately asked if the test was really reliable.
"I was shocked by her reaction and started to feel that I had no value as a member of the family unless I give birth to a boy," she said. "The crown princess must have been in a similar situation, but on a much larger scale. I just cannot help feeling sympathetic toward her."
But a 68-year-old woman in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture, who visited the Imperial Palace on Emperor Akihito's birthday on Dec. 23, was critical of the princess, even though she says she feels sympathy for Masako in her tough environment. From the perspective of a mother-in-law, the woman says, Masako appears a bit too self-oriented and assertive.
"I put up with a lot of things while living together with my parents-in-law for over 40 years, but I took care of them until they died at 90 and 98," she said. "But my son and daughter-in-law visit our place twice a year at most, although I and my husband desperately want to see our granddaughters."
She said her son and daughter-in-law never really consulted her on big decisions, such as working after giving birth. "They may say it is a generation thing, but if anybody in a family is too self-oriented and assertive, the relationship among the entire family may go bad. I guess even the imperial family is no exception. I feel kind of relieved because it looks like even they have similar problems that we have."
The question is imo not, if she does not want to - I am sure she wants. The point would rather be if her health renders her unable to go - or if she is not allowed to.
As for being allowed to go, I would be very surprised if she and her husband agreed to any such restrictions on their activities.
(The part about concentrating on conception is ridiculous, imo. If he is away and they are separated, how could she conceive? Anyway, she is nearly fifty and will not have more children now).
Unless she is actually bedridden (which we know she's not), I don't see how it could be a health issue! If it is due to emotional stress, a change of venue is often helpful in these cases.