JAPAN TIMES


 

Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 18 on Friday.

The prince, who is second in line to the throne, is the first male member of the imperial family to become an adult in 39 years, since his father turned 20 in 1985. The age of adulthood has been lowered by two years since then.

He released a letter through the Imperial Household Agency on reaching adult age, saying he wants to deepen his learning and grow.

Hisahito is a third-year student at the University of Tsukuba's Senior High School at Otsuka in Tokyo. His coming-of-age ceremony will be held after his high school graduation next March.

In the letter, the prince said he felt as though he was attending kindergarten, elementary school and junior high school only recently, and that time passes quickly.

He expressed gratitude to his parents and his sisters — Mako Komuro, who left the imperial family upon her marriage, and Princess Kako — and voiced his wish as a final-year high school student to work hard for his life path and cherish the short time remaining for him in school.

Hisahito visited Okinawa Prefecture last fall on a school trip for second-year students, learning about peace and staying at a home on a remote island, the Imperial Household Agency said.

At school, he conducted research on plants suitable for dragonflies to lay eggs on and delivered a poster presentation in February.

He is keenly interested in natural history, including insects and their habitats, and is hoping to enter a university at which he can study such subjects. He is continuing dragonfly observations, although the frequency has decreased due to his increased studying.

He is concerned about the livelihoods of disaster victims hit by the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake. In April, his family received explanations from youths from the Scout Association of Japan about their aid activities in quake-affected areas.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the Imperial Household Agency has warned that groundless information is circulating regarding the future plans of the prince.

Weekly magazine and other media reports have said that Hisahito may seek admission to the prestigious University of Tokyo through a recommendation system. The reports sparked an online petition campaign in opposition.

"I have found the situation very strange. I am feeling distressed," said Naomasa Yoshida, grand master of the Crown Prince's household.

"Even though he has come of age, he is still a high school student. As Prince Hisahito mentioned in his reflections, he is striving to realize his future plans and wishes to cherish his high school life, and I also want to value that personally," Yoshida added.