Japan: Prince Hisahito becomes the first male member of the imperial family

Japan: Crown Prince Hisahito turned 18 on Friday, becoming the first male member of the imperial family to reach adulthood in nearly four decades. It is a significant event for Japan’s imperial family that has ruled for more than a millennium. Hisahito is the youngest of the 17-member all-adult imperial family, which currently consists of only four men. Hisahito, who is expected to one day become emperor of Japan, is the nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito. His father, Crown Prince Akishino, was the last to do so in 1985. According to the 1947 Imperial House Law, only a male imperial member can succeed to the throne and female imperial members who marry commoners lose their imperial status.

The Imperial House Law largely preserves conservative pre-war family values.

Hisahito’s older cousin, Princess Aiko, the only child of Naruhito and his wife Masako, a Harvard-educated former diplomat, is considered a popular favourite as the future empress. But the law prevents her from taking on the role. Born on Sept. 6, 2006, Prince Hisahito is a third-year student at the University of Tsukuba’s Senior High School in Otsuka. “Right now I want to enjoy my remaining time in high school,” Hisahito said in a statement. He has long been interested in insects and has co-authored an academic paper on a dragonfly survey on the grounds of his Akasaka estate in Tokyo, the statement said. The Imperial Household Agency also said Prince Hisahito’s coming-of-age ceremony and accompanying press conference would be scheduled for the spring of 2025 or later, after his high school graduation.