As Japan’s Princess Aiko turns 20, what her ‘boring’ coming-of-age reveals about an imperial family in crisis

Observers agree a statement released on Aiko’s behalf to mark her 20th birthday was kept as vanilla as possible to deny the Japanese tabloids more fodder

It comes as Japan grapples with a looming imperial succession crisis that some say could be solved by allowing women to sit on the Chrysanthemum Throne

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Japan’s Princess Aiko with her pet dog in the garden of the Imperial Residence in Tokyo ahead of her 20th birthday. Photo: The Imperial Household Agency of Japan via AP

Published: 6:53pm, 1 Dec 2021Updated: 9:46pm, 1 Dec 2021

Japan’s Princess Aiko celebrated her coming-of-age on Wednesday with a bland statement that observers say was deliberately calculated to avoid media hype following the departure of her cousin, the former princess Mako, from an imperial family that faces a looming succession crisis.

The only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako marked her 20th birthday – when Japanese citizens legally become adults – with a statement issued through the Imperial Household Agency alongside a profile of the princess that sought to emphasise she was busy taking care of her pet dog and two cats.

Aiko, who is currently barred by law from ever taking the Chrysanthemum Throne herself, thanked her parents for their “loving and careful upbringing”, alongside “all the people who have been involved in my journey up to this day”, and said she wanted to “refine” herself so she could “grow into an adult who can be of service to others”.

Japan’s Princess Aiko, right, speaks with a curator at the Museum of the Imperial Collections in Tokyo last month, ahead of her 20th birthday. Photo by Imperial Household Agency Handout via AFP

Observers agreed the statement had been kept as vanilla as possible to deny Japan’s tabloid media anything to get its teeth into after a year of salacious reporting on the imperial household which encouraged social media comments that at times bordered on vicious.

The prime target of reporting has been Mako, who gave up her royal titles when she married commoner Kei Komuro in October. Their years-long on-off union was breathlessly reported on by the tabloids, with Mako and her new husband moving to New York soon after their marriage to escape the media spotlight.

“It has been a really difficult year for the imperial family,” said Hiromi Murakami, a political-science professor at Temple University’s Tokyo campus. “The princess’ statement is very general in its tone and I think it’s unlikely that it reflects her true feelings on the issues facing the monarchy.”

“After all the problems surrounding [former] princess Mako, the Imperial Household Agency just wants the family to keep a low profile and avoid any sort of controversy,” she said.