August Annotations

Prince Hisahito - Japan’s Rising Son

[AP]

Not long ago, Princess Aiko, daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan, was first in line to the Chrysanthemum throne. As the eldest child of a Crown Prince, one naturally assumed she would become Empress one day.

Not if the Imperial Household Agency had anything to say about it.

The Imperial Household Agency is a government agency of Japan in charge of state matters and Japan’s imperial family. They have been criticized for keeping the family on a short leash and remaining aloof from the Japanese public, but still they march on, dictating what the royal family can and cannot do.

The IHA practically orchestrated the conception of Prince Hisahito, Aiko’s baby cousin and ultimate usurper of the throne. His parents, Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, probably had little say about whether they wanted a third child or not. Akishino and Kiko already had two daughters, the eldest now a young teenager. Regardless, they had to try for a son. With everyone on pins and needles, their efforts produced the longed-for boy.

Prince Hisahito, as a male, superseded little Princess Aiko’s claim just as the government was preparing to at least discuss the possibility of a female reign. Many of the old hardliners did not want to budge on the issue of succession, however. The reason for the panic was explained bluntly by former Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma. An Empress would disgrace the family by possibly going to school somewhere in Europe or the U.S. and returning home married to a ‘blue-eyed foreigner’. Indeed.

Hiranuma was not alone in his sentiment. Japan’s foreign minister, Taro Aso, also questioned plans to allow female succession to Chrysanthemum throne. Prince Tomohito, a cousin of the current Emperor, had even suggested that Crown Prince Naruhito take different lovers to ensure the birth of a son before moving on to support Naruhito’s brother Akishino.

Another idea was that families who lost their royal titles after World War II be reinstated, so awful was the concept of a female heir.

Now they can rest easy. Hisahito’s birth is a Godsend for the monarchy, a child who will grow to be an Emperor that keeps foreigners out of the Imperial line. He will marry a lovely Japanese girl, of course, just as his father Prince Akishino, uncle Naruhito, and grandfather Akihito all did. After all, how can one trust a mere girl to make decisions regarding matters of the heart AND the monarchy? Just ask Elizabeth, Margrethe, Beatrix, Victoria, Catharina-Amalia, Leonor, Elisabeth, or Ingrid-Alexandra.

©2007 mandysroyalty.org
By Mandy