The deep sigh that escaped the generally conservative political class of Japan in September 2006 can still be heard echoing. That day marked a historic event without any exaggeration. Princess Aiko (then 40 years old), wife of Prince Akishino, gave birth. But unlike her two previous deliveries, where she had given birth to two girls - lovely, but of little interest - this time she gave birth to a boy. Few births had caused such anticipation and even national unease. Hisahito, the name given to the new prince who was introduced to society a few weeks later at the Shinto temple of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in a baby religious ceremony, unknowingly became Japan's great hope to perpetuate the lineage. Hisahito was unaware in his first breaths of oxygen that he was the child upon whom rested, whether he liked it or not, one of the heaviest responsibilities that anyone on Earth can have today: nothing less than saving the Japanese imperial family, after 2,600 uninterrupted years on the Chrysanthemum Throne, from an almost cursed extinction.
It must not have been easy to be in Hisahito's shoes all this time, who reached adulthood in 2024. Nor are easy days ahead for him, with increasing responsibility towards his historic destiny. The pressure on someone destined to become the future emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun seems immeasurable.
And this Monday, Hisahito has taken a step forward on that path traced since his birth, as he has offered his first press conference, a highly publicized event in Japan that awaited him since he turned 18. Hisahito faced the media pressure from the Akasaka residence in Tokyo, where he lives with his parents and one of his two sisters, Princess Kako - the other, Mako, lost her imperial status after marrying a commoner in 2021 and has since lived completely away from the public sphere, as befits the strict rules of this monarchy.
The young prince did not hide that he feels "nervous in certain situations" but, regarding his aspirations as an adult member of the reigning dynasty, he stated that he is "aware of his responsibilities" and would like to "approach each task entrusted to me with care and fulfill my role as a member of the imperial family." He noted that an advantage of his work is that he "can thoroughly pursue things that interest him," while his disadvantage is that "it sometimes becomes too particular."
In response to a question about the role of the imperial family, he said: "I believe it is that of someone who always thinks of the people and is close to them." And, among other issues, he referred to the forest fires in Iwate Prefecture and other areas: "I hope they are contained as soon as possible."
A few years before Hisahito was born - the only grandson of then Emperor Akihito - discussions began within the government and Parliament about a possible reform of the strict Salic law that governs the Asian nation, where women not only are barred from the throne but also cannot transmit succession rights - the great Gordian knot. The change in dynastic rules would have prepared the country to allow a woman to assume the reins in the future. However, Hisahito's birth abruptly halted that constitutional amendment and the changes to the laws of the imperial household that circumstances were pushing for, with a political class dragging its feet without disguise.
In the early 2000s, as we mentioned, Akihito was reigning. His succession was well assured by his eldest son, the then Prince Naruhito - the current sovereign. However, the Heir and his wife, Masako, only had a daughter, Aiko. The consort suffered from chronic depression from which she has never fully recovered, partly due to the difficulties in adapting to the rigid protocol of the imperial household, but also because of not being able to conceive the desired male heir. Many voices, even within the royal family, called on Naruhito to divorce or to revive the tradition of concubinage to have children. Some even hinted at harakiri as a way for Masako to make a great service to the State.
The last male born into the dynasty was Akishino - Naruhito's brother - in 1965. By the early 2000s, it was already deemed impossible for either of the two brothers to have more offspring, while the other living princes were elderly. Akishino's unexpected son thus became a quasi-miraculous lifeline for the traditionalists who trusted that providence alone would save the dynasty descended from the goddess Amaterasu from its fate. And, of course, Hisahito's birth irreversibly deprived his cousin Aiko of any possibility of becoming empress.
Will study a degree in biology
Hisahito is about to complete his final year of high school - the third year at the University of Tsukuba Institute (Tokyo). And, at the end of last year, it was reported that he will start a degree in Biology at the University of Tsukuba in April. His passion for science seems to have been inherited from his uncle, the emperor, and his grandfather, the elderly and highly respected Akihito.
Archive image of the imperial family from 2010.Reuters
On September 6, the young prince will turn 19 and will be the protagonist of another highly symbolic event, the coronation ceremony or Kawan-no-Gi. The Tokyo Government allocated over 2.5 million yen (around 16,000 euros) for the making of the first crown that will correspond to the future sovereign. It will be the first coming-of-age State ceremony for a prince in four decades.
Hisahito, we emphasize, is the only member of the imperial family under 50 years old in the line of succession to the throne, where today only his father (59 years old), the current Crown Prince, and Prince Masahito, an uncle of the emperor nearing 90 years old, who, logically, is not thinking about ascending any throne.
Although Hisahito is the white hope for the dynasty's future - burdened, however, with the responsibility not only to reign one day but also to father as many children as possible as if he were a stallion - it is evident that the danger of the imperial family's extinction still looms. For years, there has been a debate in Parliament about a reform of the dynastic law that never reaches a consensus. At the moment, everything revolves around two possible reforms. One is to allow princesses to remain so after marriage. This would ensure that Aiko herself or her cousins, Akishino's daughters, remain in the Palace in the future. However, the Liberal Democratic Party parliamentarians are reluctant to grant their husbands and any descendants they may have the status of members of the imperial family. Experts warn of the problem of how to make it compatible for these common citizens, free to engage in political activities and work in the private sector, not to interfere with the neutrality and dignity of the Crown.
The other measure being considered is that current members of the dynasty can adopt male descendants from ancient branches of the imperial family who lost their status with the 1947 reform. Here, the problems are multiple.
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