Japan's Prince Hisahito turns 18: What this means for the world's ...

In this photo provided by Japan's Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, is pictured at the Akasaka Palace imperial garden in Tokyo, July 15, 2024. AP

For many, turning 18 may be a typical life achievement, but for the royal family of Japan, it marks a significant milestone.

Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 18 on Friday, September 6, becoming the first male royal family member to reach adulthood in almost four decades.

Announcing his official adult status within the Imperial family, Prince Hisahito expressed his desire to gain knowledge “through each and every experience, absorb various things and “grow through them.”

It is even more special for a family that has ruled for more than a millennium but faces the same existential problems as the rest of the nation – a fast-ageing, shrinking population.

Here’s all we know about him.

About Prince Hisahito

Hisohito, set to become emperor one day, is the nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito.

He is enrolled in a Tokyo high school that is connected to the University of Tsukuba for his third year of study.

A 2022 Civil Code amendment reduced the age of adulthood from 20 to 18, meaning that he has already attained maturity while still a high school student.

His father, Crown Prince Akishino, was the last male to reach adulthood in the family in 1985.

Hisahito is the youngest of the 17-member all-adult imperial family, which currently has only four men.

In this photo provided by Japan’s Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Crown Prince Akishino, center, poses for a photograph with his wife Crown Princess Kiko, second right, and their children, Princess Mako, left, Princess Kako, right, and Prince Hisahito, second left, at their residence in Tokyo on November 14, 2020. AP

On the member’s birthday, ceremonies have historically been held to commemorate their admission as an adult member, according to The Japan News.

Hisahito’s rituals, however, will take place in the spring of the next year or later to avoid interfering with his university preparations. Among the rituals are the Choken-no-Gi initial audience with the Emperor and Empress, as well as donning a crown that the Emperor gave him.

Prince Hisahito has long been interested in insects and even co-authored an academic paper on a survey of dragonflies on the grounds of his Akasaka estate in Tokyo.

In his statement, he said he wanted to “cherish” his remaining months of high school and to continue working hard to pursue his future ambitions.

Hisahito’s status as the last heir apparent poses a major problem for a system that doesn’t allow empresses.

Succession problem

There have been eight empresses in Japan’s patrilineal line of succession, with the last one ascending to the throne in the 18th century. The lineage is said to have originated with the sun goddess Amaterasu around 600 BC.

However, Japan Today notes that throughout the country’s imperial history, there has never been an emperor or empress descended from a matrilineal family.

The current emperor of Japan is Naruhito, the grandson of Hirohito, the emperor with the longest reign. With his wife Masako, he has one daughter, Princess Aiko, who is 22 years old.

Only three people can claim the throne for him: his presumed younger brother Fumihito, Crown Prince Akishino (58), his nephew Prince Hisahito, 17, and his paternal uncle Prince Hitachi (88).

Despite being “much celebrated”, Naruhito’s succession issue persisted after Aiko’s birth in 2001.

Princess Aiko, a former diplomat with a Harvard education, is the public’s pick to become the empress.

Despite her direct line of descent, the current legislation prohibits her from assuming that job.

It did, however, prompt the Japanese government to start discussing whether to amend the legislation to let women to succeed to the throne.

When Fumihito’s wife gave birth to Prince Hisahito in 2006, the matter seemed to have been settled.

According to DW, governments have since learnt that “a single male heir is not a long-term solution.” The administration is currently discussing ways to maintain stable succession without depending on females.

A mostly conservative government panel entrusted with maintaining stable succession postponed making a judgement on whether to make women or members of matrilineal families eligible for the throne in 2021.

In a poll conducted by Kyodo News, 52 per cent of respondents said they agreed with the panel’s decision to postpone, while 46 per cent opposed, practically splitting the nation.

Critics say those measure would have a limited effect as long as the male-only succession is maintained because it is workable largely with the help of concubines in the pre-modern era, according to The Associated Press.

A possible solution

According to The Week, which cited DW, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) appears to be leaning towards amending the law to expand the imperial family and head off a succession crisis.

The LDP declared in January that the 2021 measures are now “realistic,” indicating a “change in its viewpoint.

First, instead of making the current rule that female imperial family members who marry off become commoners incapable of bearing male children, they should be allowed to keep their royal rank.

The second is to restore family lines that were “lopped off” following Japan’s surrender to “dramatically reduce” the emperor’s power by occupation officials.

With both plans, the emperor’s family would have “a far larger pool of descendants” and a higher chance of a male heir.

Professor of political science at Temple University’s Tokyo campus Hiromi Murakami told DW that the party’s change “appears to be a good sign, a sign that the LDP is finally listening to the opinion polls on the future of the imperial family.”

With inputs from agencies

Related Stories