Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito, has said that taking part in rituals as an adult member of Japan’s imperial family remains “rather tense”, and marriage is still far in the future.
The family became the centre of global attention last year when Aiko’s cousin Mako, 30, defied the family to marry her college boyfriend Kei Komuro, also 30, a commoner who works in a New York law office. She was forced to renounce her titles as per imperial rules, and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder because of the drama surrounding her engagement.
Aiko, who became a full-fledged adult royal upon turning 20 in December, said in her debut news conference today that she was mainly focusing on her studies and that the reality of being an adult royal was still sinking in. “For the first time I’ve taken part in a number of palace rituals, and I was rather tense. It seemed strange that I was being part of things that only my parents had done up to now.”
Asked about her plans and views on marriage, Aiko said she had just finished her second year at university, studying Japanese literature, and would see what the future brought. “For me, marriage still seems far in the future and I haven’t really thought of it. I have no particular thought of my ideal partner, but being with somebody and we can make each other smile seems perfect.”
Aiko, who wore a pastel yellow suit and pearl necklace, avoided comment about her cousin’s marriage.
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Instead, she described being raised “peacefully” and gave unusual glimpses of palace life, including jogging around the grounds with her father and a time she and her parents tried to sit together on a surfboard at the beach and tumbled into the water.
“I’ve been mostly raised without worries, so I tend to do things at my own pace,” Aiko said. “From childhood, I’ve been a little shy, so I’ll try hard from now on to conquer this.”
Women cannot inherit the Japanese throne and royal life is circumscribed. Aiko’s mother, Empress Masako, gave up a life as a diplomat and has struggled for years with what the palace terms an “adjustment disorder”.
