Japan’s Prince Hisahito comes of age as succession crisis looms

TOKYO – Japan on Sept 6 heralded the coming of age of Prince Hisahito with an elaborate ceremony at the Imperial Palace, where a succession crisis is brewing.

The nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to become emperor after his father, the 19-year-old received a black silk and lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life.

“Thank you very much for bestowing the crown today at the coming-of-age ceremony,” said Prince Hisahito, clad in the traditional yellow costume for minors, bowing to Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who smiled at him.

“I will fulfil my duties, being aware of my responsibilities as an adult member of the imperial family,” he told his parents at the ceremony in Tokyo, attended by a score of royal family members and relatives.

Prince Hisahito was then seen boarding a carriage to attend other ceremonial events, after changing into a dark-coloured costume, traditionally worn by adult royals.

Although the emperor has a daughter – Princess Aiko – the 23-year-old has been sidelined by the royal family’s male-only succession rules.

Even though tradition dictates only a man can carry on the imperial line – which goes back 2,600 years according to legend – opinion polls have shown high public support for a woman taking the throne.

“It makes no difference to me whether a woman becomes the emperor or a man does,” said Tokyo bartender Yuta Hinago.

The 33-year-old felt there could be “room for more flexibility” in the succession rules.

“Gender doesn’t matter,” part-time shop clerk Minori Ichinose, 28, told AFP, adding that she supports the idea of having a female emperor.

Japan has debated the royal succession for decades, with a key government panel in 2005 recommending that it pass to the eldest child regardless of sex.

That appeared to pave the way for the emperor’s daughter to rise to the Chrysanthemum Throne, but Prince Hisahito’s birth the following year silenced the succession debate.

Politicians have been slow to act, “kicking the can down the road”, and delaying a solution with youthful Hisahito in view, said Dr Kenneth Ruoff, director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at Portland State University.

Traditionalists have asserted that the “unbroken imperial line” of male succession is the foundation of Japan, and major changes would divide the nation.

Under the post-war Constitution, the royal family holds no political power.

Pressure on women

With royal daughters forced to leave the family after marriage, one modernising proposal would see them continue their public duties after their nuptials.

Conservatives, meanwhile, are pushing for the royal household to bring distant relatives back into the fold. But it is unclear if those men would be willing to give up their careers and freedom to continue the lineage.

Prince Hisahito said in 2025 that he has “not yet thought deeply” about his own marriage prospects, which could be challenging.

Historically, women who wed royals have faced intense pressure to produce sons, and have become constant subjects of gossip.

Empress Masako, a former high-flying diplomat, struggled for years with a stress-related illness after joining the household, which some have put down to the pressure to have a boy.

Empress Emerita Michiko, Emperor Naruhito’s mother, also suffered stress-induced illnesses.

Prince Hisahito’s sister Mako married her university boyfriend Kei Komuro.

She has faced intense tabloid reporting over claims that Mr Komuro’s family had run into financial difficulties, leading the former princess to develop complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

The couple left for the US, where they recently had a baby.

Despite broad public support for changing the succession rules, away from the pageantry, people are focused on other issues such as rising inflation, said royal historian Hideya Kawanishi.

“If people who are generally supportive (of women emperors) become a bit louder, then politicians can become more serious,” said Associate Professor Kawanishi, who teaches at Nagoya University.

“But when ceremonies end, society, including the media, calms down and moves on.” AFP