Prince Hisahito of Akishino

Hisahito of Akishino
悠仁親王
House House of Yamato
Father Prince Akishino
Mother Princess Akishino
Born 6 September 2006 (2006-09-06) (age 5)
Tokyo, Japan
Occupation Prince of Japan
Imperial House of Japan

HIH The Prince Mikasa
HIH The Princess Mikasa
Styles of
Prince Hisahito of Akishino
Reference style His Imperial Highness
Spoken style Your Imperial Highness
Alternative style Sir

Prince Hisahito of Akishino (悠仁親王 Hisahito shinnō?, born 6 September 2006) is the third child of the Prince and Princess Akishino, and their only son.[1][2] He is third in line to become Emperor of Japan. Prince Hisahito has two older sisters, Princess Mako of Akishino (born 23 October 1991) and Princess Kako of Akishino (born 29 December 1994).

Contents

Name

His personal name Hisahito in this case means "serene and virtuous," according to the Imperial Household Agency. An alternative translation is "virtuous, calm, everlasting." His name was chosen by his father, and the Imperial crest used to mark his belongings is koyamaki (Japanese Umbrella-pine) tree.

Biography

He was born at 8:27 am (Japan Standard Time) by Caesarean section at Aiiku Hospital in Tokyo following complications in the pregnancy, diagnosed as partial placenta praevia, which resulted in the birth taking place two weeks early. He weighed 2.556 kg (5 lb 10 oz) at birth. His mother Princess Kiko has offered to donate the umbilical cord blood to the Japanese Cord Blood Bank Network for the general public and not for private use.[3]

Hisahito was the first male child born to the Imperial House of Japan since his father in 1965. In January 2007, the then Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, announced that he would drop an earlier proposal to alter the Imperial Household Law so as to allow females to inherit the throne. The proposal had been made on the basis of the fact that the two sons of Emperor Akihito had, at the time, no sons of their own. Given Hisahito's birth, it now seems increasingly unlikely that the laws will be changed to allow Hisahito's cousin, Princess Aiko, daughter and only child of the heir-apparent to the throne, Crown Prince Naruhito, to become a reigning Empress and thus end the Japanese succession controversy. Although Imperial chronologies include eight reigning empresses over the course of Japanese history, they are regarded as interim or "caretaker" rulers, who did not pass the throne to their own children. Their successors were most often selected from amongst males of the paternal Imperial bloodline once those males grew old enough to rule, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were merely temporary and that the male-only succession tradition must be maintained.[4]

First birthday

Prince Hisahito celebrated his first birthday amid the glare of cameras at the imperial palace. Newspapers published front-page pictures of the smiling prince standing on a table in pale blue rompers. The Imperial Household Agency stated his weight as 9285 grams (20.4 pounds) and his height as 75 centimetres (30 inches).[5]

On his third birthday he weighed 13.6 kilograms and was 94 centimetres tall. He was shown riding a tricycle, and later in traditional dress. The Imperial Household Agency told press that Prince Hisahito enjoys lively activities, like riding a tricycle from his elder sister Princess Kako, playing ball and chasing, and has gradually become able to eat and change clothes by himself.

His parents affectionately call him "Yuyu," "Yu-chan" and "Hisahito-kun," it reported.[6]

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. ^ "Japan princess gives birth to boy". BBC News. 6 September 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5316266.stm. Retrieved 5 September 2006. 
  2. ^ Walsh, Bryan (5 September 2006). "Japan Celebrates: It's a Boy!". Time. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1531895,00.html. Retrieved 5 September 2006. 
  3. ^ "Imperial baby joins his mother". The Japan Times. 8 September 2006. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060908a4.html. Retrieved 8 September 2006. 
  4. ^ "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl," Japan Times. 27 March 2007.
  5. ^ AFP.google.com, Japan's new prince turns one amid public glare
  6. ^ Prince Hisahito turns 3+

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Prince_Hisahito_of_Akishino Prince Hisahito of Akishino] at Wikimedia Commons
Prince Hisahito of Akishino
Born: 6 September 2006
Japanese royalty
Preceded by
Prince Akishino		 Line of succession to the Japanese throne
3rd position		 Succeeded by
Prince Hitachi