Aiko, Princess Toshi
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| Born | December 1, 2001 (age 5) Tokyo, Japan |
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| Title | Princess Toshi, Princess of Japan |
| Parents | Naruhito and Masako |
| Styles of Princess Toshi (Aiko) of Japan |
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| Reference style | Her Imperial Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Imperial Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
Princess Aiko, The Princess Toshi (敬宮愛子内親王殿下 Toshi no miya Aiko naishinnō denka), born December 1, 2001, is the first child of Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito, heir apparent to the Japanese throne, and Crown Princess Masako.
Aiko, the princess's personal name, is written with kanji character for "love" and "child" and means "a person who loves others." She also has a royal title, Princess Toshi (敬宮 toshi no miya) which means "a person who respects others." This formal title will be dropped if she marries a commoner, which is likely to happen as the nobility was abolished and the imperial family was streamlined to the descendants of Emperor Taisho in 1947.
In a break with tradition, the name was chosen by her parents, instead of by the emperor. It was selected from the teaching of the Chinese philosopher Mencius. It reads "A person who loves others will be loved by others, and a person who respects others will always be respected by others."
In 2005 Princess Toshi began her education at the National Children's Castle in Tokyo. She enjoyed doing pottery, rhythmic gymnastics, and gardening inside the Togu Palace with Princess Masako.
Princess Toshi (or Princess Aiko, as she is more widely known) began her formal education at the Gakushuin Kindergarten, Tokyo, in April 2006.
An avid sumo fan, she attended her first basho in September 2006 with her parents.
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[edit] Throne
[edit] Debate
The birth of Princess Aiko sparked lively debate in Japan about whether the The Imperial Household Law of 1947 should be changed from that of primogeniture (male-preference) to equal primogeniture, which would allow a woman to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne.
A government-appointed panel of experts submitted a report on October 25, 2005, recommending that the Imperial succession law be amended to permit equal primogeniture. On January 20, 2006, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi used part of his annual keynote speech to address the controversy when he pledged to submit a bill to the Diet letting women ascend to the throne in order that the imperial throne be continued into the future in a stable manner. Koizumi did not announce a timing for the legislation to be introduced nor did he provide details about the content but he did note that it would be in line with the conclusions of the 2005 government panel.
[edit] Cousin
Proposals to change the male-only law of imperial succession were shelved temporarily after it was announced in February 2006 that the Crown Prince's younger brother, Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko were expecting their third child. On September 6, 2006, at 8:27 a.m. (Japan Standard Time), Princess Kiko gave birth to a son, Hisahito, who is third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne under the current law, after his uncle, the Crown Prince and his father, Prince Akishino. The prince's birth not only provides the first male heir to be born in the imperial family for 40 years, but will likely discourage the proposals suggesting female succession.
See Japanese Imperial succession controversy.
