At a time when Japan is facing the problem of a fast-ageing and shrinking population, it seems the Japanese Royal family too is hit by it. The Japanese Imperial Royal family is headed by Naruhito-- the emperor, and apart from him there are only three other male members of their 17-members family. Of which, Prince Hisahito recently turned 18 which makes him the first male Japanese Royal to reach adulthood in roughly 40 years.
Prince Hisahito is the son of Crown Prince Akishino and his wife Crown Princess Kiko; he is also the nephew of Emperor Naruhito. This makes him the second heir to the throne. Out of the four male members of the Japanese Royal family, Prince Hisahito is the youngest.
It is noted that his father, Crown Prince Akishino, was the last male member of the Japanese royal family to reach adulthood in the year 1985.
Why is Prince Hisahito turning 18 a big news?
The Japanese Royal family is conservative and it allows male-only successions. 'The 1947 Imperial House Law, which largely preserves conservative pre-war family values, only allows a male to succeed to the throne and forces female royal members who marry commoners to lose their royal status,' reads a report by AP.
The current Emperor of Japan, Naruhito and his wife Masako, have one child-- a daughter named Princess Aiko. She is quite popular among the masses, however, the current laws forbid her to take over the role of an empress even if she is in the direct line of descent.
Before Prince Hisahito's birth in 2006, a law was proposed to allow Princess Aiko to become the future empress. However, with the birth of a male child in the royal family, this idea was later shelved.
Prince Hisahito also has two elder sisters, namely-- Princess Kako of Akishino, and Mako Komuro-- who gave up her royal title after marrying a commoner.
Prince Hisahito, who is the second in line to the throne, is currently studying in high-school and he seems to have a keen interest in insects. So much so that he has also co-authored an academic paper about a survey of dragonflies on the grounds. On turning 18, Prince Hisahito had released an official statement which read, "Right now I would like to cherish my remaining time in high school."
All about the Royal family of Japan
The Imperial family has ruled for over a thousand years. However, it only allows male members of the family to ascend to the Chrysanthemum throne. Currently, there are 17 members in the Japanese Royal family of which only four members are male. This includes Emperor Naruhito, his younger brother Crown Prince Akishino, his nephew Prince Hisahito, and his 88-year-old childless uncle Prince Hitachi.
Considering the dwindling number of male members of the Japanese Royal family, in January 2022, their government proposed allowing female members to keep their royal status even after marriage as a measure to prevent the declining population within the imperial family, while adopting male descendants from now-defunct royal families to continue the male lineage with distant relatives, as per AP.
