ChiaraC
Aristocracy , Royal Blogger
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2007
- Messages
- 924
- City
- Berlin
- Country
- Germany
I understand what you mean. A friend of mine (who is British) once said that she never thought Akishino´s words so very bad because, according to her, members of British families will make that sort of remark every five minutes about each other, and it is all very lovingly meant. 
But there is a cultural difference here. Believe me, I have read a lot about imperial news conferences and Japanese royals, and they never make this sort of jokes. The only two exceptions to this rule I have ever heard of are 1) Akishino´s remarks about his brother and 2) something his eldest daughter Mako said about her father at her very first news conference. Regarding 1) I think indeed that these remarks were very cruel because of the very difficult situation the crown prince was in. He was under high pressure to get himself a bride, at every news conference he heard the question of when he would finally, finally find a crown princess and had to answer it with a smiling face(poor guy), mocking articles were published about his desperate search and polls were conducted among young Japanese girls, with like 75% saying like they would never marry him... Naruhito himself was very worried and began to fear that he would have to die a bachelor.
Akishino (as non-heir) enjoyed not only more general freedom than his brother but also seems to have made “good use" of it, with lots of "female company" (I have mentioned it above). So, in a situation that was very difficult for Naruhito, his brother basically told him (in public!): „You are a poor lo-o-o-oser, and I a-a-a-m the cool wi-i-i-inner, nanner, nanner...“ Nothing that Naruhito could have said in return (even if he wanted) would have made any difference because, regarding the issue in question, Akishino was basically right: Naruhito did have serious problems to find himself a bride (and was probably still a „virgin“) - while Akishino had as many girlfriends as he wanted. I, for one, think that it demonstrates an ignoble nature to step on somebody who is already lying on the ground, so to speak.
Regarding 2): Princess Mako said about her father at her very first news conference as an adult member of the imperial family that he had a short temper and used to scold her often when she was a child. She added, "Well, you could say that he had somewhat of a short fuse. But he has mellowed out these days." (No price for guessing why he happens to have „mellowed out“.. .
) With this statement she just confirmed what I have always suspected. But I admit that I was indeed amazed that she would publicly say that (and, what is more, first thing she gets the opportunity). It strongly reminded me of Prince Frederik of Denmark and what he said about his father. She made it sound like a joke, so it seems that at least the Western press did not really “get it”. But, like I said, Japanese royals are usually not in the habit of lightly making that sort of jokes (as little as of playing strip billiards... )
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