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A woman as Japan’s ‘emperor’? The case for Princess Aiko
A woman on the throne would be a tremendous soft power tool at a time when Japan is planning a surge in hard power.
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Japan's Princess Aiko greeting guests at the spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace imperial garden in Tokyo on April 23.
PHOTO: AFP
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In April, Princess Aiko, the only child of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, made her first appearance at an imperial garden party in Tokyo. Those present at the Akasaka Imperial Garden – some 1,400 in all – noted the grace and ease with which the 22-year-old Aiko, also known as Princess Toshi, moved among the guests.
When former Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi told the emperor that Japan could win the World Cup some day, and Naruhito responded that he looked forward to seeing that happen, Aiko revealed that she likes watching soccer, according to sources quoted by Japan Times. In January, the Imperial Household Agency announced Princess Aiko would be starting her working life with the Japanese Red Cross
