Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, marked his 14th birthday Sunday.
A second-year student at Ochanomizu University Junior High School, the young royal has been growing healthily over the past year, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
At his school, he gave a presentation with his classmates at last year's student festival with the theme of "Suki wo Shigoto ni (making what you love your work)" and interacted with graduates of a special-needs school.
He deepened his understanding of the lives of those with disabilities by walking with a student who acted as a caregiver while he wore an eye mask and experiencing moving around in a wheelchair.
In October last year, his essay "Tonbo to Watashi (the dragonflies and I)" received an honorable mention from the Tokyo metropolitan government in the nationwide essay contest for elementary and junior high school students sponsored by The Yomiuri Shimbun.
During the school's temporary closure from late February to late June prompted by the novel coronavirus outbreak, he took classes online, read books and engaged in independent research projects.
In May, he and his famliy handcrafted medical gowns, which were in short supply due to the pandemic, and donated them to a hospital.
Prince Hisahito also accompanied his family on public outings. When he attended the National Convention for the Shonen-no-Shucho speech contest for the first time with his sister Princess Kako in December, he listened to presentations of the junior high school students of his generation.
At his residence, he along with his family also received online lectures from experts that covered various topics including the history of infectious diseases such as the Spanish flu, which was prevalent about 100 years ago, and the impact of the coronavirus on people with disabilities.
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