AP
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Prince Hisahito in Japan was the first male royal family to reach adulthood for the first time in 40 years. Many people in Japan are worried that he will be the last one.
The elaborate palace ritual, officially recognizing Hisaheet as an adult on Saturday, is a reminder of the dark outlook of the world’s oldest monarchy. Much of this comes down to male-only inheritance policies and reduced numbers.
Hisahito is second in line to the chrysanthemum throne and could one day become emperor. However, since no one remains after him, he left a dilemma about whether the 19th century ruling that abolished female succession should be reversed in the Imperial family.
Hisaheet, a freshman at Tsukuba University near Tokyo, enjoys studying biology and playing badminton. He is particularly devoted to dragonflies and has co-authored academic papers on the investigation of insects on the grounds of Tokyo’s Akasaka Estate.
At his debut press conference in March, the prince said he hopes to focus his research on dragonflies and other insects, including ways to protect urban bug populations.
Hisahito was born on September 6, 2006 and is the son of Crown Prince Axino, the heir to the throne, and his wife, Princess Kiko. He has two older sisters, the popular Princess Kako and former Princess Mako.
Isajit’s coming-of-age ritual declined a year after turning 18, reaching legal adulthood as he wanted to concentrate on university entrance exams.
Hisahito is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, and has a daughter, daughter and Princess Aiko. In 1985, Axino, the emperor’s younger brother, was the last man in his family to reach an adult.
Hisahito is the youngest of the entire Imperial family with 16 members. He and his father are the only male heirs younger than Naruhit. Prince Hitachi, the younger brother of the former emperor, is third on the throne, but is already 89.
The lack of male successors is a serious concern for the monarchy, and historians say it lasted for 1,500 years. This issue reflects Japan’s rapid aging and population shrinking.
Although traditionally there were male emperors in Japan, female succession was permitted. There were eight female emperors, including the recent Gosakuramachi, who ruled from 1762 to 1770. But both of them produced heirs during their reign.
Succession was legally limited to men in 1889 for the first time under the previous constitution. The Imperial House of Representatives Act of 1947 after the war retained the value of a conservative pre-family, allowing only male succession.
However, experts say that the male-only inheritance system is structurally flawed and only worked previously, thanks to the help of the concubines who gave birth to the Empire until about 100 years ago.
Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Emperor Masako, is not the successor to her father, despite her being supported by many of the masses as the future monarch.
To address concerns about succession, the government compiled a proposal in 2005 to allow a female emperor. However, the birth of Hisaheet changed rapidly, and nationalists opposed the proposal.
Another, largely conservative panel of experts in January 2022 recommended that the government be called on to maintain the succession of the male line, while allowing female members to maintain royal status after marriage and continue their official duties. Conservatives also suggested adopting male offspring.
However, the debate stagnates over the question of whether to grant royal status to non-royals who marry the princess and their children.
Stagnant debates forced Hisahito to carry the fateful burden of the Imperial family himself, former Imperial household agency Chi Singh Haketa said in a Yomiuri newspaper article earlier this year. “The basic question is not whether to allow a line of inheritance between men and women, but how to save the monarchy.”
The conservative Yomiuri issued her own proposal in May, calling for an urgent revision of the Imperial House of Representatives Act to grant the princess’ husband and children royal status and allow women to take over the throne. It called on Parliament to “responsibly reach conclusions about the crisis surrounding the symbol of unity between the nation and people.”
Crown, carriage, prayer
The Isahit ritual on Saturday began at his family residence, where he appeared in the tuxedo and received the crown delivered by Naruhit’s messenger.
At the main ceremony of the Imperial Palace, other royal members and top officials of the government were present, and he wore traditional outfits in beige robes, symbolizing his pre-adult status. His head cover was replaced by a crown, a headpiece for black adults, “gamuri” and officially made the arrival of his age. Isaheet bowed deeply, thanking the Emperor to the crown and his parents for holding the ritual, and pledging to fulfill his responsibility as a member of the royal family.
The royal prince then changed into adult clothing with a black top and rode in a royal horse carriage to pray at three shrines on the palace grounds.
In the afternoon, Hisahit was to restore his tuxedo and visit the Imperial Palace, greeting his uncle, aunt Naruhito and the Empress. In another ritual, he receives a medal, the grand cordon of the highest order of the chrysanthemum, in a postwar tradition. He was also to greet his grandparents Akihito and his wife, former Emperor Michiko, at their palace.
In the evening, Axino and Kiko held a private celebration for their son at the Tokyo hotel for relatives.
The ritual also includes the visit to Japan’s highest rank shrine, the spirit of the Nara mythical first emperor, Zimu us, as well as his late grandfather, wartime emperor Hirohito, and his visit to the outskirts of Tokyo. He will also have lunch with the Prime Minister and other senior officials on Wednesday.
