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Will Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako Go to Copenhagen?

  June 22, 2009 at 11:12 am by

In its presentation on Wednesday, Tokyo’s 2016 Olympic bid committee has promised to “leave the Olympic Movement with an incredible legacy to inspire future cities.” For that purpose, Tokyo is reportedly planning the most comprehensive youth program outreach ever: a national educational program has been created, in order to promote the values of the Olympic movement for schools, a measure which no candidate city has ever taken before. But this … Continue reading →

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Japan’s Prince and Princess Hitachi Visit Okinawa (Bolivia)

  June 20, 2009 at 1:08 pm by

Following their visit to Peru, Japan’s Prince and Princess Hitachi have continued their Latin American tour by travelling to Bolivia. After arriving in the Bolivian capital La Paz on Monday night, the royal couple headed to the rural district of Colonia Okinawa on Tuesday where they had lunch with Japanese migrants and their descendants. Colonia Okinawa is a prosperous agricultural centre that was founded by Japanese immigrants. The area was … Continue reading →

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Japan’s Emperor and Empress Plan Their Visit to Canada and Hawaii

  June 18, 2009 at 1:26 pm by

Japan’s Emperor Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, will leave Tokyo on July 3 in order to pay an official visit to Canada and the US state of Hawaii that will last until July 17. The visit is meant to promote goodwill and friendship between Japan and Canada, the United States and Hawaii and will mark 80 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Canada. Diplomatic relations between Japan and … Continue reading →

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Japanese Royals Attend Japanese Emigration Anniversary in Peru and Bolivia

  June 16, 2009 at 12:25 pm by

On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Peru as well as the 20th anniversary of the Peruvian immigration to Japan, Japan’s Prince Hitachi, along with his wife Hanako, left on Friday for an official visit to Peru. The following day, the couple met with Peru’s Justice Minister Rosario Fernandez and other government and municipal authorities in front of the Japanese Immigration Centennial Monument, where the names … Continue reading →

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Archeologists Discover Tomb of Legendary Japanese Queen Himiko

  June 15, 2009 at 12:35 pm by

According to a report in the Asahi Shimbun, a team of archaeologists have examined artifacts from near Hashihaka, a 280-meter key-hole shaped burial mound, and have discovered evidence that the ancient tomb may belong to Himiko or, in Chinese: Pimiko, the legendary third-century shaman queen of the Yamatai kingdom in Japan. Using radiocarbon dating, the researchers found out that clay fragments from the rim of the mound were made between … Continue reading →

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Photo of Princess Kako leaked onto Internet

  June 11, 2009 at 11:41 am by

A former classmate of Princess Kako at Gakushuin Primary School apparently posted an unauthorized photograph of the princess in a diary on the member-based social networking site Mixi. In the following days, the photo was leaked over the Internet. Fourteen-year-old Princess Kako is the second daughter of Prince Akishino, the younger son of Japan’s Emperor Akihito, and his wife, Princess Kiko. According to the source, the photo showed Princess Kako … Continue reading →

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Fighting for a Dream to Come True – 16th Wedding Anniversary of Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako of Japan

  June 9, 2009 at 12:07 am by

Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan met his future bride Masako Owada first on October 18, 1986. A party had been arranged to celebrate the visit of Princess Elena of Spain; but it was also a way of enabling the heir to the throne to meet a selection of forty eligible young women, among them Masako. The prince was immediately smitten: Masako, a charming, attractive and intelligent Harvard-graduate, had only recently … Continue reading →

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Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako To Represent Tokyo Olympic Bid Campaign?

  June 3, 2009 at 1:54 pm by

Tokyo’s Olympic bid committee will be soliciting help from Japan’s imperial royal family for its bid campaign that was launched last month by Prime Minister Taro Aso. The final decision about the Olympic host 2016 will be taken by the International Olympic Committee on October 2nd. Tokyo’s committee will make a formal request through the government for Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako to present the city’s bid on … Continue reading →

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Prince and Princess Akishino Returning Home from their European Tour

  May 26, 2009 at 11:01 am by

On Saturday, Prince and Princess Akishino arrived back home from their tour to the Danube countries – Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. In Romania, the fourth and last leg of their journey, the couple paid a courtesy visit to President Basescu on Wednesday and met with Chairman of the Romanian Senate Mircea Geoana and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Roberta Anastase. On the programme of the four-day visit were … Continue reading →

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Prince and Princess Akishino on Goodwill Tour

  May 20, 2009 at 12:45 pm by

Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko are presently on a two-week goodwill tour of Europe that began in Austria and took them in the following to Bulgaria and Hungary. The fourth and last leg of their journey is going to be Romania. The visits are taking place in order to celebrate the 140th year of Japanese diplomatic ties with Austria and Hungary and the 50th year since Tokyo resumed formal relations … Continue reading →

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Singapore President Warmly Welcomed by Japanese Royals

  May 13, 2009 at 12:08 pm by

During a state visit of Singapore president S. R. Nathan to Japan, the Singapore leader and his wife were hosted by Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at a state banquet on Monday. In his welcome speech, the emperor remembered that during his first visit to Singapore in 1970, he and his wife (who were still crown prince and crown princess at the time) had planted seedlings of the Japanese … Continue reading →

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Japanese Crown Prince Performing Beethoven

  May 13, 2009 at 12:02 pm by

On Sunday, when the Shunyukai Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in Tokyo, Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan played the viola. (Article) This has been the sixth time for the prince to perform in the amateur orchestra, of which he is an honorary member. The prince who is known to be passionately fond of music also sometimes plays viola in the orchestra of Gakushuin University, his old school in Tokyo, … Continue reading →

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Prince and Princess Akishino Visiting Austria

  May 12, 2009 at 12:39 pm by

Japan’s Prince Akishino met yesterday with Austrian President Heinz Fischer at the Hofburg Imperial Palace, the seat of the presidency in Vienna, at the start of a four-day visit to Austria. Princess Akishino (informally Princess Kiko) is accompanying her husband on a two-week tour of Europe that also includes Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. The prince and princess will return to Japan on May 23 after a brief stopover in Paris. … Continue reading →

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Five Years Ago: Prince Naruhito’s “Declaration of War” on the IHA

  May 11, 2009 at 7:47 am by

On May 10, 2004, Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan was scheduled for a news conference. Nobody expected anything spectacular or even especially interesting from this event. All public relations of the imperial family members are organized by the Imperial Household Agency (IHA) which sets up news conferences only on certain occasions, the most frequent being birthdays and visits of the royals to foreign countries. The journalists who are invited to … Continue reading →

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A New Puppy to Comfort Princess Aiko

  May 6, 2009 at 11:50 am by

Last weekend, on a trip to the imperial ranch outside Tokyo, Princess Aiko, only daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan, happily showed her new puppy, Yuri, to the public. Princess Aiko entered the second grade at Gakushuin Primary School this April. Sometime this year, Mari, one of the two dogs of the crown prince’s family, died. The dogs Mari and Pippi had already been living … Continue reading →

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Prince and Princess Akishino to Visit Austria and Bulgaria

  April 30, 2009 at 8:34 am by

On May 10, Prince and Princess Akishino are expected in Austria for a four-day visit. They are scheduled to visit there Klosterneuburg diocese, Vienna’s Schönbrunn Castle, the Neusiedler Lake National Park in the province of Burgenland as well as the Japanese school of Vienna and the capital’s Museum for Natural History. Princess Akishino’s stay in the European country will probably remind the Japanese princess of happy times, as the former … Continue reading →

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Was Emperor Hirohito Born Out of Wedlock?

  April 29, 2009 at 12:56 am by

According to the Imperial Household Agency, Prince Yoshihito (who was to become Emperor Taisho afterwards) and Princess Sadako were married in a small ceremony at eight o’clock in the morning on May 10, 1900; at the Imperial Shrine on the palace grounds in Tokyo. Only members of their immediate families attended the rites, and on April 29, 1901; nearly one year after the wedding, their first son, Hirohito, was born. … Continue reading →

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No Time For Rest – Emperor Akihito’s Busy Schedule

  April 23, 2009 at 10:24 am by

The Imperial Household Agency disclosed recently that it intends to lessen the burden on Emperor Akihito of Japan by reducing his duties throughout the year. Last December, the emperor was diagnosed with arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, and inflammation in his stomach and duodenum. His condition was said to be caused by stress, and in the following days, several of the emperor’s engagements had to be cancelled, for instance, his annual … Continue reading →

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Crown Princess Masako: One Big Step More on the Way Towards Recovery

  April 21, 2009 at 11:48 am by

Last Sunday, Crown Princess Masako of Japan, who has suffered stress-induced illness while struggling to adjust to royal life, made her first public appearance outside of Tokyo in about 15 months. The princess attended the 20th national “Midori no Aigo” green conservation event at the Yokohama Animal Forest Park, along with her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito. After an address of the crown prince on the importance of greenery in attempts … Continue reading →

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40th Birthday of Former Princess Nori of Japan

  April 18, 2009 at 3:47 am by

Sayako Kuroda, the former Princess Nori and only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan, is celebrating her 40th birthday today. As the princess left the Imperial Family and became a commoner on the day of her wedding to Yoshiki Kuroda in November 2005, no official birthday celebrations will be held. In all likeliness, though, the family is going to have a nice birthday party in private as … Continue reading →

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