A liberating moment for Japan's Princess Sayako
Hellomagazine.com
26 NOVEMBER 2004
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2004/11/26/princesssayako/#enviarWhether it was because she was performing a task close to her heart – she once worked as a researcher at an ornithology institute – or a reflection of her recent engagement, Japan's Princess Sayako seemed aglow with happiness as she released a duck into the Imperial Reserve outside Tokyo.
The 35-year-old princess is known for her love for animals – as a primary school student she wrote an essay about wanting to become a guide dog trainer – and continues to work with them whenever possible.
As the Emperor's only daughter, Sayako has been largely cut off from the outside world. Her wedding to Tokyo planning officer Yoshiki Kuroda, 39, will change all that, however.
In line with Imperial etiquette Sayako will lose her royal title when she marries her commoner fiancé. And while she will have to take on the burden of paying tax, she'll also acquire the right to vote and run for public office.
With both Sayako and her fiancé in their 30s, the union is a late one by Japanese standards. But the princess has never made any secret of her intention to "search in my own ways at my own pace," emphasising that: "Since it concerns my long future, I want to give much thought to it rather than simply hurrying."
The pair are reported to have met when Yoshiki visited the residence of Sayako's brother, Prince Fumihito, who was an old classmate. Since then the relationship has been kept under wraps, known only to a small circle within the imperial household.
With the question of royal succession still in the news – neither Crown Prince Naruhito or his brother Prince Akishino have a male heir – it is perhaps inevitable that this new union should also come under scrutiny. Royal watchers speculate whether, if Sayako were to give birth to a boy, it could be adopted by her elder brother. Such a move would call for the current ban on adoption within the royal family to be dropped.
1. The wild duck clasped gently in her hands, Princess Sayako prepares to free it into the imperial reserve
2. Beaming, the Emperor's only daughter boosts her feathered friend into the sky
3. While to date her life has been lived within the confines of the Imperial household, the 35-year-old royal's position will change significantly once she weds her commoner fiance
